Repository: UIHistories Project: Magazine - English Club The Illinois (1907) [PAGE 43]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

SUGGESTIONS A N D CRITICI S M S F O R F O O B A L L REFORM

0. t l . ]\I()VNIII \ N

N these d a y s when a l m o s t e v e r y form of act i v i t y is s u b j e c t to more or loss eritici m by

an awakened public, probably it would not l>e Inconsistent to treai tin* Uegiatc game of foot1 1 and athletics in general in a more* or less erith il 1 wa\ exposing or ratlior collaborating its evils that they might be eradicated or a1 least improved. £ >me time ago i justly excited conference, repres nting the moM prominent universities of the wost assembled at * Ihica o and passed sweeping resoluti a radically changin the game of football as then played, lowering the cost of admission I i students, changing the qualifications for freshmen participation in athletics, and restricting in a m is< ure the eligibility of the old men, and finally limiting the number of games to be plaj 1 aeh year 1 any university. In t he discussion of my subject it will be necessary to criticize or approve, as the case may be, in a

very humble* w v, t h e act ion t a k e n at t hat c o n f e r e n c e . Did t h e i:aine of football need c h a n g i n g ? I t h i n k

so, beyond the question of doubt ; and the new tune i played last fall not only justified all thai was exik n P Mod of it,but showed that in the future beef was < t be subservient to "brains" and "agility." There is no quo tioning the fact that previous to the reformed

g a m e a big, In ivy, s t r o n g man was a m u c h d e s i r e d q u a n t i t y for t h e football s q u a d , and b e i n g scarce was

made the subject of a bidding match, partioipat 1

in s o m e t i m e s d i r e c t I , a n d most t lines indirect ly, by aim st e v e r y school in t h e country.

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