Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-25


There are, of course, some out
standing foot ball coaches who
are making salaries today in ex-
cess of the salaries paid college
presidents or prominent educa-
tors, but they are few in number
and will hold their high-paying
positions only as long as they are
able to produce great foot ball
teams.
The suggestion made by the Carnegie
Founoation that foot ball coaches be
amateur workers is roundly scored by
the Big Nine commissioner. The min
lster OF the gospel is a professional In
that he, following the Bible precept
that the laborer Is worthy of his hire,
accepts o small salary for his services"
says Maj. Grifnth. THE college pro-
fessor is a professional. No one would
ask him to serve gratis. In the same
manner our coaches are professionals
They have made study Of athletics
and are qualified to teach.
Calls Proposal UnsOund.
This Fall number of critics have
suggested that colleges should pay the
foot ball player and athlete. From an
economic standpoint the proposal is
lnsound.
"If all the men who competed this
Fall in Western Conference foot ban
were paid at the rate of 500 q week,
and II all the men who compete in
other intercollegiate sports were paid
at the rate of $50 a week, the uni
versities in year would expend the
appalling sum Of $1,357,000 in salaries.
at has been claimed that publicity
is bad for the boy and stimulates con-
ceit. While it is fine that we attempt
to throw as many safeguards around
youth as 1t is humanity possible for us
to. do so, yet am not sure that many
boys have been spoiled by the adula-
ton heaped upon them because Of their
athletic proves"
And in speaking of the publicity at
tendant on foot ball. the Carnegie
Foundation suggests that the college
boy Is subjected to publicity to enable
some thousand young reporters to make
living.
mo college man has the remotest
idea of promoting sport to furnish en-
ployment for newspaper. reporters"
continues Maj. Griffith. AT the same
time 1 am not sure but that the best
sports writer's of the day are making
a literary contribution that might COM
mare favorablv with the literature of
Homer when that sports writer reported
certain memorable Greek games, or Of
Scott, who so excellently reported the
events connected with the tournaments
and contests of medieval times.
Praises Sport Page.
az sometimes think that the sports
page is the cleanest page in the daily
newspaper. While the columns on the
other pages are frequently devoted TO
men who have made a failure Of life,
the criminals, suicides and others, the
sports page deals with accounts Of the
men who have won. Very little atten-
ton is given to the losers.
I'm my day Jesse James and Old King
Brady were youthful idols. The young
ster of today admires, yea, even idol
lies, the athletic heroes.
Athletics were highly emphasized by
the Greeks throughout the period when
Greek civilization was at its best. Our
victorious college athletes Of today are
never given the salutation that was ac-
corded the victors in that period, when
Greece produced her greatest scholars,
philosophers, artists and statesmen.
THE backward nations of the world
are in no sense Of the word athletic
nations"
The majority of the critics Of foot
ball, 1t is pointed out by Maj Grimth
and others in defense OF the SPORT are
those who read the attendance and
financial reports of the biggest institu-
lions engaged in foot ball. 1.
But where Notre Dame played to
$50. 900 fans this past season on nine
Saturdays, there were between 800 and
1000 other teams not faring so well,
some of them actually losing money.
And the big profits, when there are
such, go into the furtherance OF other
athletics chiefly.