Evening star., 1927-12-07

by Inc ASSo1dlCH fEPSs'
~ ANSAS CITY Mo, December I
" All the hullabaloo over foot
~ ball scouting isn't confined tc
" the New England precincts
where Harvard and Yale are
on opposite sides of the fence.
The Missouri Valley Conference has
operated this year under gentle
mans non-scouting agreement but IT
probably viii he cast aside another
season, with the scouts back in their
open-and-ahove-b board roles, TO judge
from sentiment that is coming from
most of the valley schools.
At least a good share of the coaches
and other athletic officials hereabout
feel that the abolishment of scout
ing is all right in theory but not so
good in practice. Others, more blunt
about it. term non'scouting as
hypocrisy and suspicion in the deal
rather than helping to eliminate the
so-called ''overemphasis" in foot ball.
Disadvantages Cited.
The incident of the Kansa Missouri
game has blown over but observers
here cite it as an example of the dis
advantages of a non-scouting policy.
This contest is the classic of the Mis-
souri, Valley Conference. 1t was un-
derstood that neither university would
have any official scouts. But it seems
that an eX-Kansas official. on his own
initiative, secuted Missouri in the
Iowa State game. His observations
found their way back quite naturally
to the Kansas coaching staff. Kan
sas, after a mediocre season, rallied
to wallop Missouri. the conference
leader. There were reverberations
and explanations.
Yale, an ardent supporter of the
non-scouting policy, effected agree
ment with most of its 1927 opponents
on this principle, but there was moth
ing to prevent rival coaches from
studying playby-play accounts of
Yale's games in the newspapers, OBJ
serving published photographs and
other Informative matter about the
Ellis.
Harvard Opposes Idea.
Harvard already has served notice
that it does not subscribe to the non
scouting principle. The Crimson en-
tered it's agreement with Yale this
year largely as a trial measure and
without much enthusiasm. 1t was
while he was~at Cambridge that the
late Percy d. Houghton built up one
of the most efficient scouting systems
insthe country. Scouting, ,Haughton
held, was fundamental. His influ-
ence carries on. -.
So it seems likely that the latch.
string will be out pretty generally
next Fall for the visiting scouts,
whether they are from Missouri or
Harvard.
The. idea of. having two varsity
elevens in competition adopted by
likely to be followed by Iowa and
other schools, may give the record
keepers some additional moments of
worry.
1t will be all right so long as there
is a. clear line between the varsity"
and Junior varsity" observers point
out, but the cheering sections may be
a bit puzzled if two evenly-matched
teams, each playing regular sched-
rlles, are turned out by a single school.
What Might Happen
For instance, the roar for the vic
tory of team A on any Saturday aft
ernoon might be stilled by reports of
disaster to team B on a foreign grid
iron. Or the claims of a champion
ship for team X of another institution
might have a hollow echo in the tan
end position Of team Y. *
Then, too, critics point out that
while the formation of two teams will
give more players a chance to partictss
pate in competition, it hardly comes.
under the head of discouraging "ovefs'
emphasis" with two games to, he
played and two gates" to be collected.