Xbe IDaito Iftebraekan
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Vol, IV, No. 4J.
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN, THURSDAY, NOV. 24, J904.
Price JO Cents
A
Professionalism vs. Amateurism
By CHANCELLOR E. BENJAMIN ANDREWS
Needed Reforms in As to Brutality of
College Athletics
To effect reform, in college athletics,
to enact rules that can bo enforced,
we need a rational notion of "ama
teur" and of "professional," instead of
importing our definitions from Oxford
and Cambridge. The criterion on
which to lay stress should' be actual,
bona fide studentship. I do not for
my part see why a young man of char
acter and scholarship, sincerely a col
legian, as truly so as any of his class
mates, with no thought whatever of
gameplaylng as a profession or as a
permanent source of revenue, should
bo Btigmatized as a "professional," a
"non-amateur," and kept off college
taams, simply because, now and then,
in a summer vacation, being obliged
to get money in order to prosecute his
studies, he has, instead of pitching
hay, pitched ball and received1 a few
dollars for doing so. American col
lege athleticism will at this point do
well not to ape that of British univer
sities. What we desire in our college
athletes is sincerity, scholarship, man
hood, college spirit, neither Philistin
ism on tho one hand, nor Pharisaism
on the other purity versus purism or
Puritanism; Americanism, democracy,
as against aristocracy. Let no self
supporting student bo excluded from
any college team because ho has to
work with his hands that ho may tho
better work with his head.
In other walks of life tho more re
ceipt of money for a given sort of
function does not make a man a pro
fessional. A jolly resln-the-bow, for
instance, who gets a dollar now and
then for fiddling at a country dance
Is not a violinist do metier. A lay
preacher officiating at a funeral and
receiving a douceur to attest tho pleas
ure of tho heirs Is not thereby or
dained. Many college presidents, It is
to bo hoped, at timeB touch bank
notes in return for addresses by them
delivered; but they are rarely referred
to as professional speakers, like Goagh
and George William Curtis; and if crao
of them should be so denominated,
something other than the money would
bo needed to explain the choice of a
title. Tho samojn regard to writing
for the press, reporting, literary wdrk
in general. Not tho fee makes the
professional, but the dominant pur
pose, with some reference also, no
doubt, to tho man's aptness or ability
for tho art which ho affects.
Every college In the land has stu
dents of a musical turn who, both at
homo and while In attendance at col
lego, Blng or play in churches on Sun
day and receive money for their ser
vices. Yet we never think of exclud
ing such collegians from college gleo
clubs, choral societies or bands. Being
genuine students, they have tho right
to represent their colleges In all mus
ical associations and performances.
Why not treat athlqtes by this same
rule?
A man may actually be a profes
sional in some game and yet neer
have taken money for playing it. He
may possess the spirit of sport with
out the spirit of studentship. He ought
not to be eligible, but is so under the
rules now usually prevailing. An ath
lete may also be the poorest sort of a
student, a mere hanger-on by grace,
yet, If he has never happened to re
ceive remuneration he is eligible.
President Faunce of Brown uni
versity Justly denounces the sys
tematic prevarication which has
prevailed and still prevails in college
sport. Harvard university deserves
great praise for Its summary dealing
with a case of this kind recently Near
ly two months before the end of his
senior year, Clarkson-, the famous
Ditcher, had, according to the papers,
signed a contract with the New York
Americans, accepting ?50Q of his sal
ary In advance. Yet he continued to
play with the Harvard team until his
fraud was brought tfo light.
I believe that naught else has done
so much to debauch consciences in this
fashion, Inducing clandestlnism, the
illicit receiving of aid by players, and
general Philistinism within tho col
lege, as telling bona fide college stu
dents wishing to play the game that
they cannot do this in college if they
play for money outside. The unrea
Bon of the restriction is so clear that
players feel encouraged to defy it
Young men will play In summer, tak
ing wages in fact, though no longer
in name, or else taking wages indi
rectly, as, titularly, drug store tapsters
of summer drinks, as colporteurs of
temperance tracts, or as agents of
Bible societies.
Under enforced purism, also, tfl?
level of play would sink. A boy who has
played well enough to have been
sought after as an athletj will cer
tainly play much better In college than
ono less Interested. An amateur of
wealth and leisure would not be likely
to match him.
It is desirable, and not the reverse,
to keep up some parity of excellence
between college athletics and athletics
in general. To let amateur play become
markedly inferior would be to render
it ridiculous and greatly to lessen Its
present power for good.
CeaBing to fume over summer play,
which is no test whatever of scholastic
character, we shall have better success
in securing obedience" to those "criteria
which do relate To genuineness of stu
dentship, the great question at issue.
1. Let no man represent any col
lege in any match until he has been
In that college a year, falling In no
study and gaining at least-60 per cent
general average standing.
2. Promptly disqualify, whether
In training or mid season, any candi
date or contestant who for a month
falls below the general average named,
or is guilty of any immorality, breach
of training, or Impropriety In play.
3. Require of every team member
his written statement upon honor, de
tailing his revenue and means of sup
port; money from home .wages and
for what gifts and from whom, etc.,
with the understanding that aught of
misrepresentation in the account will,
being discovered, permanently black
list the man throughout the association
and the country.
the Game
Tho arguments for and against foot
ball havo been so thoroughly dis
cussed that It Is qulto noodloBS to con
sider tho gonoral matter furthor; but a
word upon tho tondoncy to exaggerate
tho injuries rocioved by playorB may
not bo amiss; though, it is pleasing
to obaorvo, tho public more and moro
Bees tho real stato of tho caso, and
frenzied criticisms aro much Iosb com
mon than formerly.
Evon if tho game wore as disastrous
as tho most violent denunciations rop
resont, this would go littlo toward off
setting tho good it does.
In a sport like football, which con
fessedly is Btronuous and physically
exacting, tho spectator Is conscious
mainly of tho physical strugglo bo
foro him and does not realize tho
training contestants havo received to
render thls.lnnocous. Ho carries away
a vivid impression of bruises, sprains,
rubbing, arnica, court plaster, etc. Ho
does not stop to consider that tho
court plaster In tho average case cov
ers a mere scratch. Exaggeration and
outcries against "brutality" aro tho
natural result.
Whether tho illusion will ever be
fully appreciated is a question, but
tho fact remains that notwithstanding
tho Inflamatory accounts of Us fer
ocity, there had been, up to last year,
according to statistics by Professor
Dexter of tho University of Illinois,
only three deaths and eight permanent
Injuries in a total of 22,706 college
players tho preceding ten years.
A Tribute To The
Scrubs.
(By a Staff Member.)
It has como to be realized, at Ne
braska, at least, that a good second
eleven Is essential to th.e success of
the Varsity team. In years past It has
boon a most formidable task for tho
coaches to bring out enough material
at dally practice to provide an even
respectable opposition to t the charges
of tho first oleven, and it is indeed a
tribute to Jiio prowess of Coach Booth
that in spite of this fact Nebraska has
risen to tho position she now holds In
Western football. Butt things havo
been different this yoar.
Although tho season has - been
maj-kod by- the lade of extraordinary
material for Varsity substitutions, yot,
for good consistent, persistent work
ers this year's "Scrubs" have broken
tho record. At no time has tho first
team had an easy thing against tho
second, and the writer of .this article
firmly believes that the "Scrubs havo
been largely responsible for this year's
successes, and have not been to blame
for Its defeats. Here's to tiie "Sfrubs."
VP. S.
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