What's in an H?

This afternoon, Harvard's wrestlers start competition in the eastern intercollegiate championships. Those that are successful there will go on to the national championships, to compete with men from schools where wrestling is a major sport. These schools consistently produce the nation's best wrestlers.

The question of making wrestling a major sport here has been raised before. It will probably come up again at the April meeting of the Athletic Committee, and that group will be doing the team, the student body, and the sport itself a gross injustice if it turns down the proposal once more.

Wrestling is a severe sport. To be a good enough wrestler to win against current competition, a man must be in better physical condition than the good athlete in any other sport. No other athlete makes such sacrifices for his weight; no other experiences the grueling nine-minute drain on his energy. The season lasts from November to April and the wrestler cannot let a day go by without practicing. He works longer and harder than any other athlete.

As a major sport, wrestling would attract more men; stiffer competition within the eight weight classes would result in better teams which would, in turn, attract even larger crowds than those under the present system do. Last year, wrestling drew the third largest number of spectators, and was one of the very few sports which helped offset the huge H.A.A. deficit. Spectator interest as well as participant interest would be enhanced if wrestling were a major sport, for the sport can be a thrilling one if the fan knows what it's all about.

A wrestler typifies the athlete just as much as a football player. In many cases, an outstanding wrestler's size keeps him from playing football, but he still goes through all the rigors of conditioning that the football player does, and more. What the Athletic Committee must decide next month, then, is whether major H's are to be awarded only to popular heroes or to athletes. Its decision should be obvious. There is no reason why wrestling should be minimized at Harvard.