Evening star., 1932-12-26

i grams IN all sections OF the
country begin to gather at
New York today for the annual
meetings of physical directors,
athletic directors, graduate man
ayers, physicians in charge of
student health, foot ball coaches,
and the meeting of National Col
legiate Athletic Association.
Organizations representing all these
groups are to take up questions relat-
ing to the particular phase of athletic
or physical education work in which
they are most interested, while the
N. c. A. A. Will wind up by holding
its usual clinic on college athletics gem
orally.
Meetings of the American Foot Ball
Coaches Association nearly always get
the public eye, because they represent
the sport in which is found the greatest
interest, but some Of the other meet
lngS deal with problems really more i'm
portant. Take the Association of
! PHYSICIANS i'll charge of student health,
: for instance, IN the colleges and big
prep schools and in some high schools.
it lJI uDltHl VI tdhlllS CoIC VI lllt
/. health of a closely knit community of
:, three or four thousand students, in view
Of all the factors involved, is far more
complex and important than the public
realizes. The direct health and welfare
of all students in all colleges is the
concern of this group.
TT is the foot ball group that gets real
i press attention. The coaches COM
Ir,f,, ,T
and this year they probably will get
more than ever. Their meetings extend
over two DAYS. and they are to take
up almost every phase of foot ball. Not
the least interesting phase will be the
technical discussion of the game. with
lectures by prominent coaches on differ
ent types Of play.
In connection with the coaches. it
seems that they will demand closer
connection with rules making than
heretofore. The coaches have an Ad-
visory Committee. but do not have
right to vote. It IS understood that
very definite attempt will be made to
get the National College Athletic Asso-
citation to give the committee represent
ing the Coaches Association right
10 vote as actual members of the Rules
Committee. Coaches feel that they know
more about the game than others and
that they should participate directly in
actions that change any of the condi-
tons under which it IS played
GO far as the general meeting of the
- National Collegiate Athletic Asso-
citation is concerned. nothing
appears in its program that is likely TO
prove startling, There is beginning TO
be a feeling among some OF the men,
hers Hf that flTV0 zion +I1Or thpy have
paid 50 much attention 70 foot ball
that the patient really has suffered.
There seems to be a disposition to let
the game recover some ground it has
lost as a result OF so much criticism.
incidentally. the slump in foot ball re-
CeiptS has hit home in many Of these
schools from which some of the keenCst
criticism has come. and most of the
universities and colleges practically all
in fact. need the receipts to carry on
their allied programs.
THE keynote of all the programs this
l. year seems to be to centc~ efforts
in general discussions to determine
how best to improve athletics generally
and foot ball particularly. y good many
Of the schools are Vltally interested in
foot ball because in cases of greatly
diminished receipts it has been the allied
programs of physical education, health
intra-mural activities. and minor sports
that have suffered through Curtailment
and IN many cases elimination. What
the National Collegiate Athletic Asso-
citation wants to do is to find out how
TO better conditions generally, and no
bocy seems inclined to take up cudgelS
against anything,
IN connection with the diminished
i receipts, it might be noted that the
general opinion everywhere seems to
be that the tax placed on admissions
to games played an important part. 1t
was pointed out in this column at the
time when the present revenue act was
before Congress that a tax on admiS-
sions would hit hard many colleges and
universities, and that condition has ce-
veloped. Many of the institutions are
ready to fight the whole question in
the courts. but others feel that, if the
situation is presented to Congress in
the proper way, the provision calling for
a tax on admissions to college games
can be eliminated.