The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1931-12-01
PLAYERS DUE
PROTECTION
Of POLICY
BY FRANK G. MENKE

players against Gripping injury
or death on fields of gridiron con.
flict?
Why shouldn't colleges, which
are enriched from 100000 to
beyond $1,000,000 annually
through the efforts of its athletic
students, spend a small portion
of those funds to insure the
squads whose limbs and lives are
exploited by colleges to build up
bigger and bulkier treasures?
Deaths roll.call reveals that 30
youths so far have surrendered
their lives in football play in
1881.
These boys are sacrifices to the
something that is called Alma
Mater" But would it not be
better and more sincere to say
that they died in the effort to
build bigger and better bank &C.
counts for colleges and schools
where they played?
A Big Business
1nasmuch as football long since
has ceased to be "a sport for
sports sake" and has been de,
veloped into gigantic business
enterprise which crosses profits
up to millions annually during
nine business weeks, is it not
pertinent to ask:
Who paid the last medical or
surgical bills for these boys who
died as result of football play?
Who paid all the expenses of
the dead hero's family which
were incidental to his last injury
and death?
Who paid for the burial of the
body Of the boy whose youthful
strength and whose proves was
exploited so that colleges might
swell the already enormous foot
ball fund?
If these youths had been killed
while working in some industrial
plant, their bereaved would have
been protected financially by the
Workmen's compensation act. If
they had met death in a train
wreck. been crushed by a truck
or gone to their valhalla through
some other accidents, monied
compensation would have been
given to those loved ones who
survived.
Alma Matters Profit
But because these boys died
while playing football for "alma
matters" which alma matters were
proflting tremendously through
their every effort on the football
Held then. colleges assume exemp.
ton from damages, even though
FOOTBALL is business as intensi-
lied and as highly commercia!ized
as any that can be found listed
IN Dun'S or BradStreet's.
throughout the land TODAY are
hundreds Of living sacrifices to
anna mater; youths suffering
agonles and tortures in hospi.
Cals; boys with broken necks,
shattered Spines, fractured arms
and legs and ribs. If they re-
cover, that is their good fortune.
If not, and if they must live
the rest of their days as hope
less crippleS, who will pay the
bills. who will compensate them
for their suffering and for all
that had been denied them in
life, just because they played for
alma mater?
A college faculty always can
take the attitude that boy does
not have to play football; that
there is nothing compulsory about
1t. So much, specifically, is
true. But coaches, or the grads
filled with football fervor. always
have oratory reserved for the
boy whose parents do not want
him to play because Of the Dan.
ger in the game.
Loyalty Appeal Made
Coaches succeed, or fail, in
their profession. according to the
material they have to work with
and they are not disposed to
permit a potential star to linger
on the sidelines.
The appeal is made-"loyalty
to the old school, team
needs you"-"don Jet the other
boys think that you are too vel.
low to play" And the boy, in
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