Show Spoil or Busines A question which has heen much discussed in relation to college athletics is that of “professionalism” This question has long bothered the authorities of our leading educational institutions and much has heen written and said concerning it The problem of hiring men to win college athletic contests has not yet seen a satisfactory solution and prospects are not encouraging for such a solution In the last few years another problem has arisen which is giving the amateur athletic enthusiasts trouble — that of “commercialism” This term is an overworked one and is often misused hut in the athletic sense “commercialism” means that spirit which reduces pleasure to business and sport to hard manual labor This is a new proj)osition but a serious one for a college man to consider It is not over reaching the point to say that on account of “commercialism” and its child “professionalism” college athletics have degenerated from the high plane on which they originally stood to lower strata of societv I hit let us consider really what is the cause of “commercialism” The American people are gifted with an attribute which is very well expressed in “Get there Kli” This terse expression characterizes the American nation of today It is hurrv-u- p "a spirit and truthfully it may he said that it is to this spirit that the I'nitcd States owes its commercial supremacy today This spirit permeates every phase of American life and lastly it finds its way into college athletics To a great extent it is commendable but is it not possible that it may be over done? You ask in what way “commercialism” enters into our collegiate contests Here is an example: School A favors foot-balit hires an athletic instructor provides for the team and starts out to make triple column scores while its rivals must be content with goose-egg- s with the rims knocked off There is a neighboring school R which makes similar preparations and the same resolve The two schools hear of each other’s ambition and then the real “commercialism” begins The coach of school A’s team searches the country for a crack half-bac- k (he needs one badly) while the coach of the second school seems to be in the same fix Then the “bidding” commences The crack half is made an offer by the first coach and then the second coach makes a better proposition never-stop-till-we-wi- n” l: |