Evening star., 1934-01-04

YH1LE a gOOd zeal mas
N/ been written in the last
v Y month or so about the
greater attendance and
consequently larger gate receipts
at college foot ball games last
Fall, it nevertheless is true that
q good many institutions did not
share in the apparent return to
prosperity and are finding 1t ex-
ceedingly difficult to finance their
programs.
Many of the larger universities es-
pecially those with successful teams, are
In excellent shape, but that is not help
ing the smaller universities and colleges
that have not shared in the larger
returns.
No other fact was so strongly brought
out in the general discussion on ath-
letics at the recent National Fedora
ton of Students of America than this.
Il was one point in which every school
was interested. and it was one point Tor
which no one seemed to have den-
mite panacea.
The result of the discussion seemed
10 indicate that one of TWO avenues
Law open. either TO put on an athletic
fee. as many are doing, or develop toot
ball teams strong enough to be known
as winners and from their gate receipts
realize sufficient funds.
But even these two posslblhtles DID
not, seem to offer much help IN some
cases where institutions are up against
special conditions. One college LOT
instance. close to a big university that
had brilliant teams the last two years,
failed to meet expenses, despite the
fact it had a winning foot ball team
and also the student fee.
The whole story, 1t seems, is college
athletics, as far as financing program
is concerned. must be written IN a
few words, which might be briefly stated
as "fit the program to the hnanceS
available"
Not much doubt exists that keeping
up with the Joneses' has a good oeai
10 do with the difficulties experienced
at a good many places, and some
schools have got to realize that they
cannot carry on as broad programs as
some of their neighbors and that they
must cut their garments to mt their
When this is realized there is likely
10 be less difficulty encountered IN
financing sports.
"A GOOD many things are done to
u get money to finance athletic pro-
4 n grams. especially in some OF the
smaller colleges of four or five hundred
students and in some colleges even
smaller than these. That should not oe
Done. and not the least wrong thlng Is
the plaving of much larger, much more
experienced. opponents Just to get money
through large guarantees.
In other words. for cash conSldera-
ton the smaller college agrees to act as
a chopping block to test the mettle OF
the big fellows ak, the cash being
needed to help finance the athletc
program.
No college administration should per-
nit that. even if the athletic authorl-
ties desired to arrange such scheoule.
-HE Southern schools generally seem
to have been much more sane in
the working out Of their programs
for athletics than their Northern ana
Western contemporaries Hardly any
Southern school has been compelled to
curtail to any great extent its program
in the last two years, while the North
ern and Western schools have in some
cases curtailed until there was very
little left. especially last Spring. And
even lately one of the big colleges an
nounced it had dropped four sports.
But this is not criticism OF that
action, because it was sensible. 1t was
carrying out the thought of hitting the
program to the cash available, and the
chances are that the programs in most
colleges in the next few years will be
more reasonably worked out.