Show w poud O v Released by Western Newspaper Union G ENE TUNNEY former heavyweight heavyweight heavyweight heavy- heavy weight champion and now director director di di- i- i rector of physical training in the United States navy is a man of con con- And one of his strongest convictions is that competitive athletics athletics athletics ath ath- have no place in the training of Americas America's fighting men In a recent New York address Lieutenant Commander Tunney took issue with the Navy Pre-Flight Pre sports program which places strong emphasis on football He didn't point specifically to the Pre-Flight Pre schools but the implications were obvious It was a rattier rather direct criticism of compulsory football for forna na naval val cadets Tunney did single out the Great Lakes Naval Training station observing observing observing ob ob- ob- ob serving that he c could uld see no sense in the sports program there He explained explained explained ex ex- that while the Great Lakes football team played 14 games in 1942 none was played at the station rH s. s lr s s c fi 1 Com Corn Gene Tunney when any of the thousands of men stationed there could see the team Among other things he said If competitive athletics could win wina a war wed we'd have won this one long ago Weve We've made a fetish of competitive competitive competitive com com- athletics for 25 years and if competitive athletics could do it wed we'd have destroyed the Nazis and Japs already On Psychology h Only military training can develop develop devel devel- op the warrior psychology he continued continued continued con con- and sports should have no part in the program Dont Don't make a kid who likes to read Shelley or Keats play football I never played football and I had the warrior He did state however that competitive competitive competitive com com- sports were good for civilians civilians civilians civil civil- ians and colleges and that he wanted wanted wanted want want- ed them to continue A majority of persons interested in athletics will not agree with Tun Tun- ney In the opinion of many football football football foot foot- ball should be given first place in any physical training program It is immediately obvious that no training program should depend solely on football None of them does Members of service teams merely add football to their daily routine which includes such varied sports as boxing wrestling jujitsu cross-country cross running barricade climbing and swimming At Iowa Pre-Flight Pre school school school-as as at other similar schools schools schools-no no special consideration is given football play play- ers Cadets who are members of the Seah wk team must go through their regular daily training program before reporting to the practice field Daily Routine Football at these Cadet schools is only one more part of a general toughening system It takes up only about one-fifth one of the daily training schedule of from 8 to 10 hours Once a man finishes his course he leaves for the flying field No man is ever held over to build a stronger team It is difficult to see why football should draw Tunney's ire The game certainly ranks near the top as a I body conditioner Granted that every every every ev ev- evI I ery boy isn't going to play football football- what's the difference The soldiers sailors and marines who dont don't play football still have a sports program which will guarantee to do everything everything everything every every- thing but make supermen out of them And the ones who want to play football only add it to their regular athletic curriculum Tunney says that if competitive athletics could do it wed we'd have destroyed destroyed destroyed de de- de- de the Nazis and Japs already Such a statement isn't very logic logic- al The claim never has been advanced advanced advanced ad ad- that competitive athletics would win the war That would be beas beas beas as illogical as saying the new type helmet will win the war Both will play a part in the ultimate victory victory- both are part of the complete pic pic- ture Mr Tunney also says that only military training can develop the warrior psychology Perhaps that's so But football as played in army camps is far from a soft game Its crushing bone-crushing personal contact does more to toughen an individual than almost any other sport No Noone Noone Noone one questions the fact that it develops develops develops devel devel- ops the competitive spirit to an unparalleled unparalleled unparalleled un un- paralleled degree The amazing upsets upsets upsets up up- sets of the past collegiate season indicate that the desire to win can perform miracles for strictly mediocre mediocre mediocre medi medi- ocre players Competition develops the spirit I |