Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26
COLLEGE SPORTS PROVED
NO HOLDBACK TO STUDY
Athletes Have Better Life Expectancy.
Coaches Held Important
Teachers.

HT%HE claim that athletics seri-
- ously interfere with scholar
ship apparently remains un-
4 proved, although there is
some recent evidence that
athletes do not reach fully the levels of
intellectual attainment their inherent
ability would make possible"
LAS to health, college athletes are
found to have better life expectancy
than the general population, but no
better than the college population, which
is in itself selected group, and not so
good as that of college men of high
scholarship rank"
These are two of the findings of Prof.
w. Carson Ryan, jr.,. of Swarthmore
College in the twenty-fourth bulletin of
the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-
vancement of Teaching, which has re-
Gently been published under the title
1.-THE Literature of American School and
College Athletics" with foreword by
Henry S. Pritchett, president of the Car
merle Foundation. These findings follow
the publication last Fall of Bulletin 90
of the Carnegie Foundation, American
College Athletics" the contents of
which received widespread publicity and
aroused controversy in educational cir
cles.
In the current bulletin of the foun-
dalton Prof. Ryan has considered and
criticized more than 1000 important
books, articles and discussions of vari-
Gus aspects of American school and col
lege athletics and the findings included
in the bulletin, which have been Sc
lected from much larger mass Of
printed material gathered by the in
vestigator, are printed in Is divisions
including such subtitles as athletics al
education, the athletic controversy
scholarship and athletics, coaches and
coaching, school athletics, athletics fol
girls and women, sportsmanship, pro.
fessionalism, separate games and sports
Tendencies Summarized.
From the more than $50 pages in the
report, total Of nearly 100000 words
Prof. Ryan has derived a series of gen.
eral conclusions which he catalogues as
"A Brief Summary of Tendencies" ane
which includes the following:
al. There is general acceptance Of
athletics as education. Once opposed
then tolerated athletics have come tt
be regarded as an important part Of
the educational process at practically al
levels, but especially for youth.
-. Existing opposition to athletics i
directed for the most part not at ath.
leticS per Sc, but at what are regarded
! as evils resulting from an exaggerated
and commercialized athletic system, eS'
pecially In intercollegiate foot ball.
"3. Managed at first by undergrad
yates, athletics are found under variou!
types Of control-alumni, faculty, stu
dent and combinations of these. It Il
now recognized that more and more thu
| educational institution, school or col
lege, must exert itself to administer ath
letics educationally, with adequate stu
dent responsibility, but freedom from
outside non-educational control.
"a. The claim that athletics seriouSl!
interfere with scholarship apparentl!
remains improved, although there Il
some recent evidence that athletes d.
not reach fully the levels of intellectual
attainment their inherent ability woulC
make possible.
IS. AS to health, college athletes ar
| found to have better life expectancy
than the general population, but no bet
| ter than the college population, which
is itself selected group, and not 81
good as that of college men of higl
scholarship rank
IS. More athletics rather than les
athletics is generally accepted as ont
of the remedies for athletic ills--tha
is, an opportunity for all youth to par.
ticipate in athletics through intramura
and similar activities provided as a reg
ular part Of the educational program.
Material widely Scattered.
Material on school and college ath.
letics is widely scattered" declare,
Prof. Ryan in explaining the methods
followed in collecting the material in.
cluded in the bulletin. Athletics touch
so many fields of health, education
general recreation. daily life and gen
eral interest that one who seeks Il
bring together the literature soon find