Saturday's Orphans

While almost everyone else was in the Stadium watching the varsity play Colgate, a group of 44 freshman football players opened their own season before virtually no one. For this year, as in the past, the Athletic Association has scheduled freshman games which conflict with the days and times of varsity home games.

Perhaps the H.A.A. doesn't realize that many freshmen would like to watch a freshman game, but are unwilling to give up a varsity game. Certainly the freshmen players want to see the varsity play. And many upperclassmen would attend a freshman game as long as it didn't coincide with the varsity time. Of the four home freshmen games this year, three conflict with the varsity schedule.

The Athletic Association wants Saturday games because it feels freshmen athletes should incur as few class cuts as possible. But experience with other sports--the freshman baseball teams often play two afternoons a week--shows that any student can have his labs or classes adjusted so that they do not fall on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. The junior varsity, whose players have a heavier schedule than the freshmen, are still able to play Friday afternoon games.

The H.A.A. also argues that schedules are a two-part pact, but any prep school or local freshman team will be willing to play on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning; Princeton and Yale run their schedules in this way and find little trouble.

Finally, since few freshmen go to away games, an ideal schedule would find the freshmen playing at home on Saturday afternoons when the varsity is away.