The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1938-08-25
s Sport
A& Wags
BY Chuck Rattle

BY Chuck Rattle
How About the Fan
Talk Of the forgotten man. And
you talk Of the football fan-or in.
stead Of fan let's call him the on
locker. The reason for this rathe,
brash statement is that perhaps
the average football onlooker in a
town of this size is almost totally
Ignorant OF the administrations in.
VOWED In an ordinary football
game. And as football is PLAYED
today there's nothing very ordin.
airy about the game. Look over
your crowds and you'll discover
this. Many Of the fans are forty.
tsh, with a boyish enthusiasm fol
the game. But to many Of them
football as 1t is today is something
brand new in their lives. There
are a host Of ladies in the aud.
fence, and while the thrills, inner.
ent to football tussle, command
their attention and bring ladylike
glee to them, still it's game that's
q bit difficult to comprehend fol-
the female mind. And not only
to ladies' minds. The game is SC
developed today, even in high
school athletics, that coaches fail ia
agree on many of the more techni.
cal problems involved.
What all this Is leading up to
Is simply this. At cost Of
some few odd dollars the School
Board this year Is going to light
the SWEETEST turfed field this
town has seen. Naturally, they
want crowds. Now it's a pecu-
liar thing with people. They will
put out a quarter to watch the
worst bit Of entertainment in
the world. But to put out their
quarters TO see q football team,
II the home town isn't winning
each contest, that's a different
thing. In other words. it's
not considered good entertain
ment unless the team you root
for Is winning. What q falla-
cious way to reason! I'm not
one Of the thin-sldnned advo-
Gates Of a good sportsmanship
code that says, well, they
played q nice game" That's q
lot Of hoOey too, but I can see
good entertainment no matter
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It seems to me the whole setup
lies in the interest your onlooker
has-who Is really your potential
fan. His interest can be built up
when, and only when, he knows
q few turns Of the game. A work
ing knowledge Of the subject, as 1t
were. Now it would be a high
class departure from the old ster-
eotype methods Of fan interest to
set up a football school for the fan.
A school conducted by the
coaches, perhaps one night a week,
in which the fan is given a bit OF
useful information regarding for
nations, plays, rudimentary and
elementary offensive and defensive
conditions, the function Of each
player, and why the whistle blows
when 1t does. s. BY the way, these
questions Of legality and the whis-
tie blowing, your correspondent has
learned from fans, is one Of the
stamping qualities. -.
Well, these schools could be
made q highly important social
event. If you have to serve
them coffee and dOnuts, it'd be
good investment. Cheer lead
ers could be on hand, a COM
munity sing could be incorpor-
ated with the event. It would
do this much with any kind of
fanfare at all. 1t would give
football a high spot just one
more evening in the week. Some
of the plays and the parts of
the preceding game could be re-
hearsed for the spectators show
ing what each team could have
done to further its own inter-
est. Well, that's all some
thing to think about. Interest
is built on knowledge and re-
sponsibility. Make the fan
cOgnizant football follower;
make known to him that his re-
sponsibility is a lively inter-
est in the team-and you'll have
him eating out of your hand. ).
"Is Toftness coming back" one
of the lads asked me the other day.
And now that I think of 1t, I
haven't heard anything about it.
But when he left last spring Oh
feudin' Julian said as how he would
be back. - :. So reckon you can
can rest at ease. Hmmm! No
word from my mysterious friend,
Gene Harvey, head football coach
and athletic director and head OF
a few other odd jobs at the school.
My studious one is now at the I'm
iversity Of Minnesota getting some
book Farming to strengthen his post
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