Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-07-25
Why Cant Soldiers
Keep Pace! Critic
Wants 10 Know
BY GRANTLAND RICE.

Special Correspondent OF The Star.
NEW YORK, July "a (NANA).-
Many or most of those colleges
adopted or fostered by the Navy
now are starting summer football
training, facing a fall campaign.
The great majority of those col
leges under Army control have
abandoned football or will do so
very soon. Football in these places
is whitening and dying out.
In this division we think the
Navy has adopted much the wiser
plan Of action. We are not talking
about sport for sports sake-but
football for war development.
We are not talking about football
for any public morale. We are
thinking of football in terms of
physical development and competi-
tive spirit. We are not thinking of
football in terms of any sectional
or national championship. in terms
of great crowds or former pageants.
We are thinking of football in
terms of body contact. hard pres
sure, quick thinking on the field,
both mental and physical alertness,
and above all-team play. The
Navy thinks football is an impor-
tant training factor. The Army dis
agrees.
Army Has One Big Point.
The Army makes one main point.
Here 1t Is: There won't be time
enough for students-practically all
are in the service on both sides-to
complete the necessary courses and
still play football.
Ny main point is this-there will
be no Army of Navy college that will
work any harder or through any
longer hours than the cadets at
West Point or the midshipmen at
Annapolis.
Their schedules run around is
hours a day This is about all the
human system can stand, ANY
schedule OF this type demands a
certain amount of recreation on the
side-even though it be as grueling
q game as football is.
The Navy has decided that only
those can play football who keep
up in their work-and have few
hours each week to spare. This is
entirely reasonable. Why can't the
Army inductees meet this same
simple requirement.?
British Changed Minds.
Suppose they have only short
periods for practice as they have at
West Point and Annapolis? Sup
pose they could find only this brief
time three or four days week? I
can't imagine any time that would
be better spent.
Why was it that England and
Scotland abandoned football after
Dunkirk and then took it up again
almost Immediately, with enemy
guns less than 30 miles away and
hostile planes still overhead?
Today England and Scotland have
league after league in full opera
ton, with the full support of the
government and the people, includ-
Ing servicemen and civilians. Both
England and Scotland hold that
football is a vital part of their war
effort where crowds range from
100000 to 10000
1t isn't the crowds that count so
much. 1t is the physical fitness
and the morale Of the servicemen
that keeps Great Britains football
program under way.
Public Appears for 1t.
1t is my belief that you will find
better average of physical fitness
and better morale in the Navy COL
leges than you will find in the
Army colleges.
If there was any thought that
football impeded the war effort in
any way there would be more than
130,000000 Americans against it..
But the great majority of those who
should know, including most of the
boys, happen to believe otherwise.
We believe if Army authorities
only will give this subject more
thought and dig just a trifle deeper
into all the factors concerned they
will keep football going, even
though it be on much more lin
tied scale.
Why should it be that Army
students can't keep pace with Eng
land, Scotland and the United
States Navy?