Evening star., 1934-02-20
COLLEGES AFTER
FOOT BALL ''CATE"
RambIers, Trojans Are Not
Different From Others
In Money Quest.
BY FRANCIS ]. POWERS.

I So far as I am able to
Y learn, Notre Dame and
~ Southern California will
60 right ahead and play their
annual foot ball game, just as if
DR.. Henry S. Pritchett of the
Carnegie Foundation had not
taken pen in hand to criticize
them for Grass and outrageous
commercialiSm.
AS matter of fact, know of few
colleges less likely to pay any serious
attention to DR.. Pritchett than Notre
Dame and Southern California.
DR.. Pritchett is correct in his as
sumption that Notre Dame and
Southern California maintain their
foot ball series for a profit. For that
matter I do not know of any college
foot ball game played to a free gate.
so why not admit commercialism is
a necessary part of the game and
eliminate 1t from any arguments
against the sport
AIOTRE DAME utilizes its foot
! Y ball profits quite properly. From
the moneys earned on the grid
iron, Notre Dame maintains Its eX-
tensive intramural athletic system,
supports track, base ball and minor
sports and occasionally lends hand
at erecting q new building. It is safe
to assume that the profits at Southern
California also are put to a good
purpose.
Profits of games played at Notre
Dame are apt to be exaggerated. The
Notre Dame stadium seats some 55,-
900 and never has been clogged. In
1881, when the Trojans broke the
Notre Dame victory march, the
stadium was not sold out. Last Fall
the game drew less than $4,000 spec
tators. When the Irish play in Los
Angeles the game usually is sellout,
but foot ball interest in Southern
California is uneQualed in any part
of the country.
Los Angeles people go for foot ball
of any sort, any time, as was proved
by the crowds that turned out for
professional games there in mid
January.
Attendance at games played in the
Notre Dame Stadium has been so dis
appointing that many of the Irish
alumni would like to see the duel
with the Trojans moved back to Sol
diers' Field, Chicago. where 1t used
to draw around 100000. That's COM
mercialism in its most violent form,
but why argue that commercialism
can be eliminated from foot ball?
TN CASE it has escaped DR..
| Pritchett's attention-Ohio State
and Illinois-two solid members
of the Western Conference-have ar
ranged me-and-home series with
Southern California and not because
they wanted to broaden their players
culture by a look at Hollywood. It's
the gate, doctor; although gate" is
a nasty word to boys who work for
the Carnegie Foundation for the Ad-
vancement of Teaching.
Foot ball profits are apt to be over
estimated by the more intolerant
CllClCS Ol Tile sport. ollly IOuI Hem-
bers Of the Western Conference
showed any sort of a profit on the
1888 season and some of the Big Ten
schools did not break even when their
obligations were paid.
After the 1882 season, one Western
Conference university was unable to
pay its coaches in full.
In the golden years the Western
Conference crossed as much as ST.
100000 a season, but in 1888, when
attendance again showed an upswing,
the receipts were less than half that
amount. So it can be seen that some
of the smaller and more rural Big
Ten schools had anything but gold
mine in their foot ball teams.
Over recommendation of foot ball
has been no worry to the majority of
universities and colleges for the past
four years and Dr. Pritchett will gain
little sympathy in attacking the
game from that angle.