Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-18
BY BOB ZUPPKE.

Foot Ball Coach, University Of Illinois
~ ONE persons fear the system of re-
serve foot ball teams which the
Big Ten Conference is introduce
~ ing this season will pave the way
for home-and-home teams of
equal strength.
DR.. Clarence c. Little, president of
Michigan, advocated the equal teams.
Illinois and Michigan, for example, in
stead Of playing a single game either
at Champaign or Ann Arbor, would play
The two teams of each university were
to be nearly equal as possible, and
neither game would be more important
than the other.
To assure the same interest in each
game it was suggested that whichever
university scored the more points in
both games would be the victor, and
it was even asserted that rooters, eager
ly watching the game before them,
would listen by radio to the reports
from the other at the same time, in
dustriously figuring up the prompt
total
The home team plan was
urged as a means of preventing STU
dent migration from one campus to
another for big game Faculties are
properly concerned with any problems
growing out of these migrations, but
it is probable they can solve them by
other methods.
Americans Want Best.
I do not believe the homeland home
team idea ever will prevail, because
Americans are interested only in the
best in any line; they fellow the best
musicians, orators, moral leaders and
athletes, but they shy at mediocrity.
Only so long as o nation demands the
best rather than Is satisfied with the
second-rate will 1t grow and develop
Foot ball is more than q game-it Is
not physical expression, although ex-
pressed physically. Boys do not play it
for recreation and exercise, but because
they are urged on by hero worship,
because they build air castles, because
they desire to excel. No boy takes part
in sport for exercise, 1t is only the old
who use that term. A boys hero must
be more than brainy structure in O
feeble body-nature takes care of that
Do you imagine any boy wishes to trade
places with the town banker, lawyer,
editor?
It is only on the athletic field that
youth excels maturity. Everywhere else
age eXcels. It is not wise to deprive
youth of its single opportunity.
The home and home equal team idea
did receive consideration in some quar-
tiers of the Big Ten, at least, but did
not get far enough to indicate any
probability of its adoption. So far as
know there Is no connection between
this radical suggestion and the mere
authorization of reserve team games.
Although the Big Ten has not per-
mitted second team games in any sports
since the reform legislation of 1905, this
ban has not followed in many other
universities, which permit outside COM
petition for both second and freshman
elevens. Under the Big Ten plan, how
over, it is probable that the reserve
team idea will be more highly developed
than ever before, and If the experiment
proves successful We may look for in
creased interest in reserve competition
in other parts of the United States.
All the Western Conference universe
ties are playing reserve team schedules.
tereSt many persons, with the exception
of students who do not follow the var
sity team on a trip, and the MAIN
tenance of the teams is entailing some
expense upon the various athletic ex-
chequers. Students, forming the bulk
OF the attendance, do not add any
revenue, as their admissions are in
cluded in their season books.
I am in sympathy with the purpose
which is to permit more players to play
in actual games. The reserves are made
up of players insufflciently developed to
be used as immediate substitutes for the
varsity. At Illinois we hope to use the
reserve plan to develop sopho.nores to