Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1941-03-27
Speaking Of
SPORTS
BY ROBERT MesHANE
Releosed BY Western Newspaper Union

: Released by Western Newspaper Union =
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
a QUICK glance at the crystal
a ball is enough to convince most
! interested observers that the Uni
versity of Chicago will not long re-
main a member of the Big Ten
athletic conference. If a crystal
ball isn't handy, an equally quick
look at Chicago's latter-day athletic
record would be just as effective.
The University of Chicago, as you
may remember, withdrew from
Western conference football on De-
cember 81, 1899. That move caused
no end of sorrow to the university's
followers.
But Chicago's sports program
hadn't yet reached its depth. This
year the Maroons failed to win a
single conference basketball game.
Taking cognizance of this alarming
state of affairs, Robert Maynard
Hutchins, the university's widely
quoted president, announced that if
losing basketball team has de-
pressing effect on the student body,
then Chicago will abolish basketball
at least in its present competitive
form. The university. under this
plan, would meet opposition less
keen than that found in Big Ten
circles.
With this announcement the ghost
| ly chorus on the Midway was
swelled by the more earthly cries Of
Western conference athletic direc-
tors. Several of those directors
were quite outspoken in their opin-
ions that the conference would be
much better off if the Maroons were
to withdraw from all team compe-
tition. Wendell S. Wilson, athletic
director of the University of Illi-
nois, in the most direct attack on
Chicago's president since that
school quit conference football, de-
clared that II am sick and tired
of reading newspaper and magazine
quotations in which Mr. Hutchins at
tacks our intercollegiate program.
A Wasted Chance
81 feel myself guilty, along with
some other athletic director of the
Big Ten, for not voting to drop Chi
cagO from the conference. Hutchins'
repeated statements are a handicap
to the athletic policy in the West
ern conference schools"
Wilson's attitude was expressed
recently when he appeared before
his fellow athletic directors with a
resolution calling upon Chicago to
leave the Big Ten. Wilson was con-
siderably piqued at Hutchins' fire.
quent utterances against the inter-
collegiate sports program. The uni
versity president has admitted that
he does not believe other schools in
the Western conference conduct
their athletics along ethical lines.
The resolution was tabled, the
board announcing that 1t did not
consider it within their department
to take action.
The whole question should be
solved with a minimum of iii feeling
and delay. President Hutchins, by
word and action, has indicated that
membership in the Big Ten is mat
ter of secondary Importance to the
University of Chicago. Athletic
directors of the remaining nine
schools would be, for the most part,
more than satisfied If Chicago would
withdraw from team competition.
Schedule Changes
Under present conference basket.
ball regulations every school plays
home-andhome series with three
traditional rivals and one game
with each of the others. A round
robin play card, with home-and-home
games against every other team, is
considered most desirable, but with
10 teams, the conference faculty
committee will not approve 10
championship matches when there
is an overall limit of 20 games per
season.
Should Chicago drop out Of basket
ball competition the round robin
would be quite feasible since only
16 championship games would be
required. If Chicago continues in
the Big Ten, then the conference
may 60 back to its old schedule sys-
tenn under which some teams did
not play others even once in sea.
son.
Chicago already has dropped foot
ball. The school lost no students
in so doing. Its academic prestige
certainly has not suffered. Mr..
Hutchins. spokesman Of his college,
expressed no deep regrets when he
mentioned separation from the con.
ference.
All in all, It might be advisable fol
Mr.. Hutchins to announce Chicago'i
willingness to withdraw from con
ference competition. The final sep
aration would be much less pain
full than any aggression action or
the part Of other schools.
And it would pave the way for adj
mittance to the conference Of q
school whose athletic program more
closely Appropriated those Of Other