Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-10

HE time probably is not far
distant when Spring sports
schedules in the colleges
will come in for drastic
cuts. A strong tendency seems 10
be developing in that direction,
and it may not be so many years
before the colleges and schools
devote almost their entire efforts
in the Spring toward program
of athletics for all, in which pro-
gram intercollegiate competition
will play a much smaller part
than it now does.
The majority of the colleges now are
represented in so many branches OF
sports and have so many different teams
that none receives much special attsn-
tion from the great body OF students.
And If the students generally are not
sufficiently interested to watch games
and derive therefrom whatever Value
attaches to the spectators seat, tnen
the amount of money expended on IN
tercollegiate schedules could better be
used in some other way.
Changes Due Soon.
If the writer is not looking just
little bit too far ahead, then inter-
COLLEGIATE athletics in the colleges are
due for considerable changes in the
next few years. The time is fast APP
preaching, 1t seems, when the inter-
collegiate schedules will be confined
1arrelv to those sports that come at
least fairly close to paying for them
selves so that virtually all taxes now
assessed against students to help sup
port intercollegiate competition may be
expended on program OF physical
education and recreation in which the
great majority of students will take
part and from which the general
benefits in health will be far greater.
At present nearly all colleges levy
fee on their students for the support
of intercollegiate athletics. There is
not the least doubt that this has been
productive of great value, but it is
doubtful If the expenditures being made
for intercollegiate schedules in Spring
sports will much longer be JUSTIFIED.
Fall and Winter sports are in a much
different category than the Spring
games, a time of the year when every
body thinks of getting outdoors and
ought to think of participating person
ally In some branch of sport. In the
Spring many of the benefits that col
leges derive from sports in other sea-
sons are not attained, Spring sports, for
instance, being largely lacking in help
ing to maintain high morale, SUCH as
foot ball and basket ball do.
Want Bodily Contact.
Another rather marked tendency
which is working against Spring sports
As the apparent lessening of interest in
SPORTS in which are lacking the physical
contact elements For the average col
lege student, and apparently Tor that
part of the general public that follows
college games, any sport in which there
is no physical contact holds not great
deal of interest. and on the other side
OF the question the physical contact
sports attract ever increasing numbers.
That seems to be the only apparent
reason for the almost phenomenal
growth of boxing in the colleges In the
last four CT five years.
Anyway, Spring sports are presenting
quite a problem to the colleges, in that
q good deal of money is expended on
them, virtually no money is taken in
as receipts, and that the aims which
formerly made such expenditures worth
while are being less and less attained.
Spring sports schedules are almost ira
Citional, so much so that any change
made in them may have to come by
degrees, but that change is due in ono
way or another.
North Carolina State College and Vir-
ginia Polytechnic Institute have no foot
ball coaches for next year. The Raleigh
institution has been thrown in with the
Blacksburg school by the resignation of
Gus Tebell to go to Virginia, and prob
ably viii have just as much difficulty
getting a good man as V. p. I. seems
to be having. The kind of foot ball
coaches these schools want, and are
looking for. simply arc not available,
except at salaries that neither is in a
position to pay.
Linzey and Mcdonald, Maryland ath-
letes who got first places in the South
ern Conference indoor meet at Chapel
Hill Saturday night, came through with
fairly good performances. Linzey won
the half mile on three-and-a-half-la lap
track in minutes and 2 seconds, and
Mcdonald took the shot put with
heave of just little more than AZ feet'
Outdoors, it seems that Linzey ought TO
stand a good chance to drop consider
ably below minutes and Mcdonald to
reach distance of As feet.