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Show Al ?ceJ SUPPORTERS of the Ivy League policy of no football scholarships or pay, and those who believe in such scholarships and big-time football, foot-ball, are still tangled up in an argument argu-ment that is now 40 years old. The correct answer is that there is room enough for both but there is no reason why they should meet in competitions that are almost certain to be uneven and unfair. Football needs badly the restraining restrain-ing influence of the Ivy League and other confer- ence leaders to keep x N , j from running com-'vv com-'vv ' pletely wild in the i'N'Vs " $ scramble for talent J all over the map '-"V & But there is also v-T? N somcthing to the ''''' argument that many 'JWjMi poorer students '$3 would De unable to get a college educa lion except from the js- rewards that foot Grantland Rice . -u ball offers through scholarships and other financial aids. "Why," one of the leading coaches In the country asked me, "shouldn't a poor boy have the chance to use his football ability to pay his way through college? I have been a football coach for well over 20 years and I could tell you of hundreds hun-dreds of such boys who have received re-ceived college educations and moved far up in life, who except for football foot-ball would have had no such chance to improve. Why should so many of these be barred simply because they are poor? It is much easier on the football coach to have this steady pressure of developing a winning team every season removed. re-moved. Today in many cases, this matter of digging up material is the toughest part of a coach's job. It is much easier to build character than it is to build a winner." Give Help to Local Boys "This part of your argument Is O.K.," we replied. "But what about this ranging for material 1,000 to ' 2,000 miles away, scouring the country for prep school or high 1 school stars in a hot competitive 1 race where many are only given ' courses they can handle without risking any brain collapse?" "This," said the veteran coach, "isn't right. Players in the main who draw scholarships or help should be taken from nearby places. But how are you going to stop the alumni from cutting in? Or certain colleges who . have smart but well-covered I recruiting systems that look after ( the job? I like to see southern teams made up of southern players, eastern east-ern teams of eastern players and western teams of western players. But I don't see how you are going to stop it" It is for this reason that college conferences or groups are needed to establish certain set standards. Otherwise all competition will be cockeyed. Colleges that don't allow football scholarships have no business busi-ness playing against those that do. They are not evenly matched. This also applies to scholarship standards. I could give you any number of examples ex-amples concerning young stars who tried to enter certain colleges and failed to make the grade. They then entered other colleges with much lower scholastic standards to return and run over the stricter school3. This Is strictly unfair from every angle. Any one can see that. It Is for this rcison the stricter colleges col-leges should play together and let the big timers fight it out among themselves.' The first and main purpose of college col-lege should not be sport but education. educa-tion. Sport, however, is a strong and Important sideline.. There are many who are equipped to handle a much higher form of learning or education than others are. But the main Idea is to give both groups a chance o Improve even If many can only work along elementary lines. It is for this reason that laxity in the way of scholarships and other help has its place for certain groups that otherwise might be barred from any form of college or educational life. Room for Ivy League But this doesn't mean there isn't a major spot for the Ivy League or Eastern conference or any conference confer-ence that decides to set up certain higher standards and see that these are enforced, as far as they can be enforced in a human world. Some time back one of our leading lead-ing educators, who loved football,-made football,-made this important point, "There Is too much "sock and not enough-Socrates enough-Socrates in our college life today. J am afraid there is a danger of oui century's athletics going the ' way they did in ancient Greece, where they were developed to the point of becoming a thorough abuse. . We are now moving rapidly Into a new age where brain Is going to be much more important than brawn, i This doesn't mean that there Isn't still a tremendous need for better physical Improvement and, development. develop-ment. As a nation, outside of our limited top athletic crust, we arc still far, shy In the way of physical Improvement for the miss, for those who need it most. But this situation Isn't going to. be helped by giving most of our lime and attention to the winning stars, who need it least. After all "A Talr Geld and no favor" Is the basis of all true competition. |