Evening star., 1931-12-20
GOOD FROM GAME
OUTWE|GHS FAULTS
Finer Faculty Supervision,
Saner Student Outlook
Aids Grid Sport.
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

n " game, WHICH was not Ill
N herently great, could have
4 Y reached the place that
foot ball has among so
many college men and such a
large portion of the American
public. There are certain faults
that should be cured, certain
notifications that should be made,
but the main structure of the
game is sound and the storm
raised against it recently has been
badly overdone.
In the first place, If you study the
list Of accidents reported for the sea-
son, only few OF these took place on
college teams. Most of them happened
to unframed and undeveloped members
OF school teams, or teams of unorganized
boys from to Is. AS regrettable as
these accidents were, they belong to the
form.
But the general good resulting from
the game has far outweighed the harm.
The next step must be to increase the
good and lessen the harm, not to cure
the patient with the guillotine. AS Bob
Luppke once said, Foot ball is one of
the few masculine touches left in
american college life" where courage,
discipline, bodily contact, pressure,
training, quick thinking and develcoed
noer are big part of the game. Almost
no college man who has played foot
nsu has ever regretted taking up the
game, but on the contrary has appreci-
hted its value later on in life.
Which Is one OF the best answers.
WHATEVER over emphasis foot hall
wv may have known In the wav of
proSelyting and Subsidizine there
ut least rapid defiation taking place
Qow IN this respect. This denation
Along this line will continue. It won't
reach perfection-but how many per-
existence? ''''t
What about so-called big time sched-
eles? Here again most colleges work
on q reasonable basis. A few have
overdone the situation, resulting In
tired and battered teams. Most of the
bowls, arenas and stadiums have been
paid for. There is no further reason
for string Of killing games
The great majority of the teams to-
day have resting spots along the way,
such as Army, Yale, Stanford, Califor-
MIA Michigan, Cornell, Pittsburgh,
Tennessee and Alabama, which fin-
1shed their seasons at the crest.
About eight games are enough for
any schedule and these should provide
such opposition that second and third
teams can be used for a good part of
any game. 1t is impossible for any
team, with restricted reserves, to play
out the schedule Georgia attempted,
for one example.
The Georgia team of october 10 and
the Georgia team Of December II were
touchdowns apart. The entire idea of
playing for national championship Is
completely ridiculous and entirely
harmful in every way 1t means less
than nothing to start with.
THERE must always be a certain
J. amount of injuries from the bodily
contact that foot ball brings But
these injuries can be reduced with a
few simple changes. E. K. Hall and his
Rules Committee have the interests Of
the player more at heart than anything
else. They are certain to do everything
possible to make the game as safe as
1t can be made.
What changes will take place2 There
has never been q place In foot ball
for the use Of defensive hands against
an opponents face. There Is nothing
to be gained by slapping or striking
an opposing player In the face. Any
number Of players have been daZed and
hurt in this way.
A new rule will doubtless prevent use
of the hands above an opponents
shoulders. This change is badly needed.
There will be eliminations or restric-
tions involving any form of the flying
wedge or flying massed interference
after the kickoff, where the impact is
often terrific.
There will be certain changes in this
respect, but the main body of the game
will remain intact. There should also
be far more careful supervision Of school
teams and corner lot groups, but this is
hard to provide In many cases.
EooT BALL is a game that needs
L. protection, not destruction. It
needs all possible help against its
weak spots-proselyting subsidizing,
over -burdening schedules. There Is
nothing to take its place in college
sports. Faculties, students and alumni
should cooperate in every way to cor
rect Its abuses. There should be
mutual schedule arrangement along the
lines Of entrance requirements and
scholarship standing, but this is now
taking place.
No reforms operate overnight. With
better faculty supervision, with a saner
student and young alumni outlook, and
with Rules Committee headed by
sportsman Of E. K. Halls caliber, foot
ball is under the best possible control.
No, foot ball isn't perfect. But what
about financial and political systems?