Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1942-11-05
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released by Western Newspaper Union.
THE Big Minds of college football
have pie.ly to worry about as
the 1912 season reaches the halfway
point Transportation problems have
plagued more than one college.
Schedule changes have caused quite
a few disappointments and decreased
attendance figures are responsible
for considerable grief.
The latter problem looms exceed
ingly large at the moment. Not that
the others aren't important, but gate
receipts-Or lack of them-cause no
more concern to the average college
than would an onslaught Of the
black plague.
A comparatively early analysis of
college football attendance revealed
! some discouraging information. In
the first 127 games played by "A
major colleges this year, attendance
was about Is per cent lower than
in l94l.
The decrease was general In the
Big Nine. only Purdue showed an
increase in its first three games. At
tendance throughout the conference
was off almost so per cent.
The Big Drop
In their first 127 games, the A col
leges played before a total of 1885,
1871 spectators. A year ago the same
number of home games for the same
teams brought turnout of 3,O28, 955.
While these early-season figures
are subject to decided change, it
must be taken fVr granted that they
indicate a trend. Football has
proved more exciting than ever this
year. Upsets are more numerous.
Nevertheless, attendance slumps
are the rule rather than the excep-
ton. The sharpest drop was report
ed by Cornell, where attendance was
slashed from 49,070 for last years
first three games to 1887 this year.
Cornell places much of the blame
on inaccessibility, the rest on poor
performance.
Ohio State dropped from 246, 1881
to 173,161. Buckeye officials figure
that it viii take all 10 games on
this years schedule to equal the
eight-game 1941 total of 486, 46S.
They're not too sure the extra two
games will make up the difference.
Last year scores of school buses
from all sections of the state brought
students to take advantage of re-
duced admissions. Today such use
Of buses is forbidden.
Major Problem,
While the importance of paying
customers cannot be overempha-
sized, colleges are faced with a still
bigger problem-the future of foot
ball. It's none too rosy. In fact,
you may be looking at your last col
lege games for some time.
James B. Conant president of
Harvard, recently told the incoming
freshman class they had but
relatively few months of college
life" ahead of them.
81 say few MONTHS" DIR. Conant
said, "f0r I believe the draft age
soon will be lowered and / feel sure
none of you wish to be left behind
in college as your contemporaries
march off to war;" Subsequent
draft legislation regarding 10 and 49,
year-Olds proved the truth of the
educators remarks.
His statements left little doubt
about the future of football at Har-
ward if the war continues. And the
factors influencing Harvard will
have as profound bearing upon all
other colleges of the nation.
Effect of Var
1t is obvious. of course, that war
already is having its effect on foot
ball. Freshmen and sophomores are
seeing more action all the time.
Most of the conferences allowing
freshmen to play are doing so for
the first time. The many startling
upsets of the present season are
due in part to the more widespread