Evening star., 1932-01-04
BASKET BaH Outlook Bright: Eligibility Clash Still AyVavy Bgaboo
SPORTING GESTURE
SHORT OF SOLUTION
Play Game at Any Cost At
titude Is Fraught With
Complications.
BY LAWRENCE PERRY.

n YEW YORK, January All
" that prevents a definite
L Y agreement for a resump-
ton Of athletic relations
in all sports between the two ma
ttonal service institutions is the
fact that the higher authorities of
the Naval Academy have not yet
decided to recede from the stand
concerning eligibility of athletes,
which caused the original break.
On the other hand, the officers in
charge of athletics at Annapolis are in
favor Of a resumption of competition
pretty much on the original basis, which
gives West Point the right to permit
students three years of competition on
Army varsity teams, irrespective of the
number Of years they may have in
dulged in sports at civilian colleges.
In other words, Capt. Wilcox and
Lieut.. Comdr. Hall, heads of the ath-
letic staff of the Navy, want to play
ball with the Army and are willing to
overlook minor evils in view Of the
larger good. In this stand they are
bulWarked by the almost unanimous
sentiment of naval officers and by the
unceasing demand Of the midshipmen.
THE present situation, in which the
l. athletic officers of the two insti-
tutionS have met and come ap-
proximately to an agreement, is pre-
ctsely the same as was set forth in this
column three weeks ago.
It all began at Poughkeepsie the day
before the regatta, when the Nelson
House was filled with graduate man
ayers, athletic directors and other au-
thorities affiliated with the various uni
versities involved in the boat race. West
Point does not row, but as it happened,
Maj. Philip Fleming and Maj. Ralph
Sasse, graduate manager of athletics
and foot ball coach at West Point, re-
spectiyely, were on the scene. 1t was
here that for the first time they came
into contact with Comdr. Hall.
Condr. Hall, who had succeeded that
bluff sea-dog, Comdr. Jonas Ingram, as
graduate manager Of athletics at An
napolis, had not, 1t appeared, inherited
Ingram's attitude toward Army eligi-
bility. A former foot ball player for the
Navy as was his predecessor, Comdr
Hall revealed a genial personality and
broad tolerance, which was altogether
winning.
IN the end Maj. Sasse went down to
L the Navy boathouse and saw the
Navy win the great regatta from the
official Navy launch. Comdr. Halls
sentiment about Army-Navy foot bell
and other sports we're summed UP
rather eloquently In his statement to
the effect that he wanted to play the
Army, if the Army drafted the Green
Bay Packers.
Later on the eve of the Pennsyl-
vania- Cornell game, Maj. Fleming and
Condr. Hall had an informal confer
ence at Green Hill Farms, after the
table, and this led to the official con-
terences that have been held in the last
week. AS Maj. Fleming nears the end
Of his administration at West Point,
he wants to leave as one of the many
marking his achievements
there a restoration of athletic relations
with Annapolis, and Comdr. Hall has
the ambition thus signally to mark his
advent as graduate manager of Navy
athletics.
DUT there are higher powers in
ID volved. The attitude of Gen.
Smith, superintendent of the Mill
tary Academy, has been forthrightly
So, in terms equally definite,
have the high authorities of the Naval
Academy placed themselves on record.
Not merely because the athletic Of
dcerS of the service institutions are in
rapport would the supreme powers at
Annapolis wipe out what they regard
and what happens to be. a matter of
principle. In the end they well may;
but not without lot of thought and
scrutiny of all the elements involved.
AS the situation now stands the Navy
eligibility rules conform to those of
her great civilian rivals, Princeton,
Notre Dame and other
Institutions. West Point rules do not
1t hardly seems likely that the Navy
would be willing without deep thought
70 discard principle of craftsmanship
which is high-minded and fair; a
principle upon which she has long
stood and for which in measure she
laS suffered.
1t does not seem as though the Navy,
playing the Army under present diverg-
ng rules, could hope to make much
better showing than in the past, where
n Annapolis has won l service game
)ut of 10. So 1t will be seen that the
problem, so far as the Naval Academy
S concerned, is difficult one, full of
and hardly to be solved by
! sporting gesture.