Football and Education

Since the end of the college football season the game has been criticized by educators either because "commercialism" had injured it or because, as played today with professional coaches before immense throngs, it was becoming of more importance to undergraduates than their studies. President Faunce of Brown University in his annual report seems to agree with President Lowell of Harvard that football has loomed too large in the scheme of education. This is plain language:

To many alumni possessed of excellent intentions but of no educational philosophy, the great aim of outdoor college sports seemed to be to make a Roman holiday, to create a spectacle, to gain publicity for the college and glorify alumni reunions. In recent years we became fully aware of the abuses of such a system, and it is needless to rehearse them. College sports were becoming the enemies of college education.

At Brown "a more substantial foundation for ourdoor sports" was wanted. A new Athletic Council had been organized to take charge of all sports, engage coaches, supervise expenditure for equipment, and "render to the corporation the same complete annual report as does any other department of the university." The football, baseball, track and swimming coaches are now members of the Faculty "and give the entire academic year to the service of the university." The aim is 'to carry the ideals of the curriculum into all outdoor sports, so that every game shall develop intelligence and character." Presidence Faunce intends to be understood:

We hope the time is not far distant when no man shall be deemed competent to give any instruction in outdoor sports unless he is associated in the Faculty with the teachers of literature, science and philosophy. Then all the work and all the play of the university will be animated by one spirit and directed toward one goal.

Elimination of the professional coach is implied. On Jan. 15 President Lowell of Harvard said that at the present time intercollegiate sports resemble the world's series in the professional baseball leagues. His view was that "as the aim in instruction is to give education to all, that in athletics should be the physical culture of all." Accordingly, intramural contests should be encouraged. Of intercollegiate football games President Lowell said:

They should be conducted for the benefit of the students, by themselves and by the appropriate authorities of the university, not by others to furnish entertainment to alumni and the public.

A step in that direction was taken by Director of Athletics William J. Bingham when he announced that before the final game with Yale each year other games would not be played as fixtures. Different colleges are to be taken on. But Director Bingham will have to instill enthusiasm into class and dormitory teams and put everybody into football who has an inclination to play it, in order to carry out the Harvard policy. President Lowell does not go to the heart of the subject as does President Faunce, but the President of Harvard labors under one great disadvantage. The desire among the undergraduates to see Harvard redeem itself under the tuition of Coach Horween is probably much stronger than the will to reform football--New York Times.