Evening star., 1938-01-03
BY JOHN L. GRIFFITH,

BY JOHN l.. GRIFFITH,
Retiring president of the National Col
legiate Athletic Association and COM
Conference.
)EICAGO, Jan 3.-Improve-
ment and advancement in
college athletics. with a cor
responding increase in public
interest, showed a sharp upward trend
in 1887. l do not look for a recession
during the new year.
Heightening of interest in collegiate
sport can be measured in attendance
figures and gate receipts at football
games. Since 1882 both have in
creased, with last year probably the
best since 1927.
Increased attendance figures were
not confined to college football, how
ever. Basket ball. professional base
ball and professional football, among
other activities coming under the head
ing of amusement and entertainment,
followed the same trend.
More people annually attend school
and college football games than buy
tickets for any other athletic event
Further. there are more football crowds
OF $4,000 or more than there are
crowds OF similar size attending other
events. Another way of measuring the
popularity of college football is by
considering that rain and cold weather
are not appreciate deterrents when
old rivals meet on the gridiron.
Big Crowds Suffer Discomfort.
FOR instance, $4,000 people sat in a
driving rain to watch the Cali
fornia-Stanford game. Army and Navy
played before 900 people, although
weather conditions were such as to
make it almost impossible to play.
That same afternoon more than 100,-
900 watched a high school game in
Chicago. Later, on day when the
temperature was somewhat below the
freezing point, $4,000 spectators wit
messed the game which was played to
decide the championship of the Ma
tional Professional Football League.
High school and college athletics
have been accepted pretty much as
having a legitimate place in the edu-
cational scheme. There may be some
educators who maintain athletics have
nothing to do with education, but
they apparently are in the minority.
Even the courts have rendered an
opinion on the question Recently
the United States Circuit Court of
Appeals for the fifth circuit ruled
against the Governments admissions
tax, and stated that determining the
value of athletics in the educational
program is for the Judgment Of the
educational authorities.
While it has been suggested fire.
quently that college football is tend
ing to become more and more a de-
fensive game, the facts do not sub
stantiate such conclusion. In 1888
10 leading Eastern universities scored
an average of Is points per game.
In 1887 the same teams scored an
average of % points per game.
In the big Ten" Conference the
figures for 1888 were IA points, and in
1887 18 points per game The Pacific
Coast Conference teams in 1888 scored
an average of l8 points, and in
1887 the average was II points.
These figures indicate college teams
scored bit more freely last fall
than four years ago.
In any good team game there must
be a balance between offense and
defense. OF course, it is natural for
q coach who has had a bad year to
wish that somehow or other the rules
i~h Ioa oh hot y, tor
would not have so much difficulty in
scoring. The majority opinion, how
ever, is that college football as it
now Is played, is an excellent game.
Lash q Track Standout.
IN COLLEGE track, a number Of
stars stood out in the N G. A. A.
meet at Berkeley, Calf, in the inter-
conference meet between the Pacific
Coast and the Big Ten Conferences,
held in Los Angeles, and in other con-
ference and sectional meets. Don
Lash of Indiana University was per-
haps the outstanding track man of
the year.
College basket ball last winter
3CdSllCu oil h1leOllllt 1llSll DOlll l1Olil
the standpoint of attendance and wide
spread competition. The Rules Com
mittee saw fit to eliminate the center
jump which has created considerable
discussion this winter However, the
plan of throwing the ball in from out
OF bounds after score is not an ex-
pertinent. This type of game has been
played on the Pacific Coast for two
years and has won the Endorsement Of
the coaches, officials players and spec
tators in that district.
College athletics are firmly estab-
1shed. They have weathered the de-
preston; most of the educational in
stitutions have suitable athletic
plants; more boys are engaging in
Unconstitutional sports than ever be-
fore and we should be able to view the
future with some degree of optimism
and complacency.