THE CHEMAWA AMERICAN
H. E. WADSWORTH, Superintendent
VOLUME 18
APRIL, 1916
NUMBER 7
THE VALUE OF SCHOOL AI'HLETICS
L E O . J . F K A C H T E N B E R G , M anager Chctnawa A thletic Association
ACH year there appear a number of articles in the col
lege papers and other publications that deal with the
question of college athletics. This subject has occu
pied the minds of thinking men for a good number
of years. Those interested in college athletics either
favor the retention of same or are bitterly opposed to
it, and would like to see it abolished. The enemies
of college athletics base their opinion upon the three following asser
tions:
(1) There is too much commercialism and newspaper notoriety con
nected with college athletics. Too much stress is laid upon victories
and very little upon the moral value of athletics for all students.
(2) Athletes suffer physical injury, serious enough to shorten their
lives.
(3) Athletics are detrimental to the interest of scholarship.
It will be the object of this paper to prove that these statements are
not true and the conditions complained of by the opponents of athletics
prevail in a small number of institutions only. It is quite true that,
until a few years ago, college athletics was permeated by a spirit of
commercialism and newspaper notoriety. This condition was merely
due to the fact that athletics at all colleges were controlled by the stu
dents or by the alumni. Fortunately, however, a radicial change has
taken place during the last few years. The college faculties have come
to appreciate the value of well-balanced and controlled athletics and
have placed them under faculty control, in charge of a well paid and
properly trained physical director. Under this system more stress is
laid upon the educational, social and moral benefits resulting from ath
letics to all students, than upon the mere matter of winning victories
An examination of the records of all colleges in the United States will
show that, in eightv-four per cent of them, athletics are under full