Evening star., 1926-12-16

The league of which his team
is q member took something
of a financial beating this season and
there are reports that both Grange
and his impressario, c. c. Pyle, have
less money now than when the sea-
son began.
Oranges remarkable success as a
movie actor was due more to the fact
that he revealed an undoubted screen
personality than to his foot ball repu-
tation. His first film made money
both for him and Pyle and there is
not the slightest doubt that two more
foot ball films in which he is to ap-
pear will be equally successful.
But aside from foot ball Grange
has impressed motion picture mag.
mates with his ability as an actor, as
well as by his possession of that
elusive quality of projecting the vari-
Gus facets of likeable personality.
Seems Sure of Success.
His future thus seems TO be clearly
from now on he will Concentrate upon
the project of establishing himself
among the galaxy of top-line film
stars.
AS for professional foot ball gen.
orally this is the first season in which
the promoters spread themselves;
they gambled for big stakes, de.
termined once and for all to put the
game over as a popular sport.
The result has been a disastrous
failure. In the East there was rain
Sunday after Sunday, which kept the
attendance down to paltry figures,
and when it was clear the bulk of
the spectators fell within the 50-cent
general admission class.
There were high salaries to meet.
It was estimated that the average
professional foot ball club had to earn
at least $4,000 a week to pay expenses.
Most if not all of them have fallen
far short of doing this.
Some of the losses to promoters are
said to run between thirty and eighty
thousand dollars. Some teams dis
banded in midseason and players were
stranded far from their homes with.
out money.
The writer never held a brief
against pro foot ball as a game. There
are many places in the country where
! lovers of football are unable to see
contests among college elevens and in
such centers the mercenary cause was
bulwarked by a strong argument.
Waste of Valuable Time.
But the practice of enlisting grad
uate foot ball players was and is
downright pernicious inasmuch as 1t
tempts young men to daily with the
game, wasting months and years
which should be devoted to the prob.
lem Of getting a reaE start in life.
Perhaps, in view OF what has hap.
pened this season.. it will be more diff.
ficult to lure college players into the
game than it was last year. For the
great temptation for coflegians lay In
the lucrative salaries offered them
and it seems certain that no promo
ter in his right mind is going to be
extravagant with his salary budget
them are minded to take another
plunge into big time foot ball.
Foster Sanford e. contention is that
high-class teams could be developed
from players who. never saw a. col
lege; that the coHnmercialized game
could be recruited as teams in organ
lied base ball are assembled, from the
small towns and the sandots. IF this
could be done-and there ID no rea-
son to believe that the country is not
filled with young men who have nat
ural ability, waiting to be brought
out-the high price OF foot ball play
erS would be eliminated, and the
game could be conducted more eco
nomically.
Needs College Backing.
But even so, the question would still
remain as to the general appeal of
foot ball. 1t is a, game not widely
understood, and where the element OF
keen collegiate partisanship is miss
ing, its appeal is not great Its great
assets as a college game are its ira
ditional flavor as exemplifed In the
colorfui gatherings, the enthusiasm Of
rival clans and the self-sacrihcang
spirit OF the players. Purely as
game for the non-technical spectator,
who has no particular collegiate lean
ings, foot ball does not begin to COM
pare with basket ball. base ball,
hockey or even soccer.
On the other hand, there Is q
strange spark that has developed out
OF the half century OF college foot
ball. a subtle essence which gives the
game a unique hold upon college folk
or those interested in one way or an
other in colleges. which causes them
to fall into hysteria when the ball
is moved toward the opposing goal
or to sit in anguish or grim despair
when it Is carried In the other direc'
ton.
IT cannot be explained. but 1t does
most clearly explain why professional
foot ball has 50 signally failed to COM
pete against the intercollegiate game.