Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-01-03
-FOUR CUNTS SEE
ACTION THIS WEEK
Georgetown Faces Hardest
Going, Playing Here and
Travelling North.
BY II. c. BYRD.


York, thing of the past, atten-
ton in the colleges, especially in
this section, now centers on basket
ball. For the next two months
there will be little other than this
sport, boxing and possibly a little
track work to occupy the time OF
athletes. And of basket ball there
should be plenty, of boxing enough
to create considerable interest,
and of track hardly more than
sufficient to keep the sport alive.
With the return tomorrow of stu
dents from their holiday period, in
tensive workouts of basket ball squads
may be looked for. Some of the schools
kept their squads together for at least
q part of the holidays, as there Is to
be no delay in getting into regular
competition.
Georgetown, George Washington,
Gallaudet and American University
have games this week, three Of them
being booked to play on foreign floors.
Maryland is without a game, although
it played last week with the University
of Wisconsin at Madison. Maryland
originally was to meet Washington and
Lee Saturday, but shifted to February
Is at the Generals request
Georgetown and George Washington
break into action Wednesday night,
The former entertainS Baltimore Uni
versity here, while the latter goes to
Qauntico to meet the Marines.
TT, =
morning for a three-day trip through
Virginia. 1t plays Randolph Macon at
Ashland the same day 1t leaves here,
mond on Friday and Hampden-S Sidney
Saturday.
Georgetown's trip is north for two
games, Friday night and Saturday
night. The first is with Crescent Ath-
letic Club at Brooklyn, the second with
New York University at New York.
George Washington has one game at
home, Davis and ElkinS being sched-
uled Friday night. Gsllaudet plays the
same night at home, meeting Mary
land State Normal School
hTAVY'S team gets back into the
IN stride of its formal competition
again this week, with one game
at Naval Academy and one away.
Wednesday the Midshipmen enter
tain Franklin and Marshall, but 60 to
Charlottesville on Saturday to try con-
illusions with Virginia This will be
Navy's first appearance in basket ball
on the Virginia court although Virginia
many times has played at Annapolis.
Navy has not yet faced opposition
strong enough to give 1t test, and in
all probability it will beat Franklin
and Marshall rather easily. Down at
Virginia, though, 1t may be a different
story. Virginia is going to have an
exceptional five this Winter and any
team that takes its measure will have
to give good exhibition.
THE New York meetings of the Amer
L lean Foot Ball Association, Student
Health Association, National Col
lsgiate Athletic Association and ASso-
ciRt!on Of Physical Directors. this year
have brought out less criticism of loot
ball than most Of ths previous gather
ings. Instead Of attempting 70 ind
everything possible wrong with the
game, it Seems that greatest attention
was paid 70 the number Of deaths Occa-
stoned by the game during the past sea-
son in an effort TO find the cause and
eliminate it.
More and more seems to be developing
well defined thought along the line that
foot ball as game is all right, and that
its only difficulty lies in the way in
which, occasionally perhaps more often
than occasionally, it is administered.
IN regard to the deaths in foot ball it
4 would be interesting TO know the "e-
lationShip of deaths to the number
kal fC IN ~
to be almost as much the national sport
of America as base ball, in the sense
that great numbers of boys are playing
and those who are not wish TO. Naturally.
in any sport, as more and more engage
in it. the number Of fatal accidents nre
likely to increase. The real question Is
to determine whether or not the fatal
ties are increasing beyond the increase
that might be expected from the in
creased numbers engaging in the sport.
However, there are three angles TO in
turies in foot ball we'll worthy Of con-
sideration. Most important is the desire
OF coaches to keep their best men in the
game as much of the time as possible,
which sometimes results in men contin-
uing to play even after they are cX-
tremely tired and have little physical
resistance. This Is the danger period,
because when man is tired out he can
not withstand hard physical contact and
is 10 times more liable to either minor
or serious injury.
Ninety per cent OF the injuries In foot
ball practice are sustained after players
are too fatigued TO practice. They SIM
ply do not have the energy or nerve
force TO protect themselves. And the
same holds true In a regular game, eS-
pecially when a tired player is kept in
the game against fresh men sent in by
the opposing side.
Another angle to the injury PROPOSE
ton is that much Of the equipment foot
ball players under the present rules are
allowed TO wear is entirely too hard. A
foot ball PLAYERS head coming in con-
tact with some of the shoulder pads that
are worn might easily result in concuS-
sion or a broken neck. Some headgears
now in use are too hard. This could
easily be rectified by providing that no
paper mache or aluminium be used in
any equipment, and that all pads be OF
soft rubber or other yielding material.
Ire third angle is that officials have
got to be more strict in calling inten-
tional roughneSS. During the last sea-
son in almost every game the writer
saw there were a dozen or more in
stances Oh pldSSiS PuSiiAAiS S'HNt P-NS
ers' faces in the ground twisting q
mans head after the play was over
getting up OF a player by gently push
ing a knee against the players rlos
and so on. Some of these instances
were penalized, but most OF them were
not
SINE Of the instances, OF course
were intended to annoy and not to In
jure, but even so, things like that may
develop serious consequences. This Il
one type Of foul that should be penal
lied every time, no matter how harm'
less an effort Of the kind may seem
Ofhcials are only too prone to warn
offending players, with the admonition
Watch that, or III penalize you the
neXe time"
A LII over the country there Is gen.
n eral trimming down Of the costs
OF running athletic departments
almost entirely due to decreased income
from foot ball. This trim ming down
has extended to general play games