PROGRESS AND POVERTY

Since the halycon days of the Twenties undergraduate interest in football has steadily decreased; while this may be attributed to indifference, the main reason is probably that the games are too expensive; and, since restricted incomes prevent the undergraduates from attending, they affect a spurious disdain for the sport. At present prices the cost of a football ticket is certainly prohibitive to many students. Hoping to remedy the situation, the Harvard Athletic Association announced this fall that tickets would be sold at two or more prices, lowering the rates on less desirable seats. This was done with the expectation of increasing the waning income from football. The scanty attendance at the Harvard-Dartmouth game would seem to indicate that the plan has hardly been successful.

The view of the undergraduate has been that the reduction should have been even more drastic, inasmuch as for all except the Army and Yale games, a goodly portion of the Stadium is empty, and these seats may just as well be sold at low prices to men who would not otherwise attend. If this view be correct, then the failure of the Athletic Association's plan is due to the fact that it has been carried out only half-heartedly, and the remedy is to establish lower priced seats and more of them, not only for students, but perhaps for the general public as well. Opinion as to the correctness of this solution varies. Obviously, there is only one way to settle the matter, and that is for the H.A.A. to try the proposed plan and experiment with it. Consequently, next fall a lower price minimum should be established, in the hope of attracting a class of people for whom the present prices are too high. This plan seems feasible enough and in view of the poor sale of tickets this year it should at least be given a trial.

That this is no ideal solution for the problem is certainly apparent, and it is only recommended on grounds of expediency. The answer to the question must await a happier, more prosperous day. Until then as much revenue as possible should be derived from the Stadium, and in order to accomplish this the H.A.A. should try a price reorganization as soon as possible.