Su y, November 11, 1956
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page N. ms
SundpyNoi~ember1 ,1956 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page N~n
A
iy JAMEIS DYGERT
'ACH week during the fall, the
New Yorker magazine, ordi-
narily much too sophisticated for
such things, disregards its repu-
tation and devotes a column or
two to a review of football.
Although condescending only to
consider games played by Eastern
colleges, the elite in just about ev-
erything except football, the mag-
szine is, evidently to the smallest
possible extent, yielding to the
public's fancies.
The public likes, nay, is capti-
vated by football. It buys up tonsf
of newsprint every Sunday to
read every word about it, which
means five or more complete pages
in most big city editions. The pub-
lie hi. aleomde profit.tle th
ublication of several magazinesj
containin nothing but footalL
All the excitement, contrary to
onference reulations, is'not a
seasonal activity. Players practice
the year around, newspapers spec-
ulate 365 days a year, magazines
dig up scandals about paid collee
heroes on a continuous basis, and
one can find a taker on a Rose
Bowl wager at any time.
It's easily posible to go on for
pages listing evidence to ie cf-
felt that Americans are ra over
football. No one quetirrs this.
The phenomenon is ak n for
- rcted and nevrr seems to it
quireace Sxplainatise.
SOONER or latei omene will
want an explanation. Not of
how to de-emphasize it how to
emphasize it properly, or even
whether to emphasie it at all
The qurestion will be an academic
one, the answer to which may also
anser all the others
The question is this Why are
Americans giga over football?
Football is big business. One
could argue with persuasion 5 tat
clever' publicists haye promoted
it to one of the richest industries
n a rich country But, instead of
answering the question, this ob-
servation merely amplifies it.
What is there about Americans
that has made promotion of this
specific sport so giganticly suc-
cessful?
Perhaps it is that football is
an American sport, a reflection
and expression of the peculiar
American character, by which is
meant the habitual ways of think-
ing a doing that distinguish
America from its contemporaries
and from its predecessor civili-
zations.
LTHOUGH Banes involving
the foot and a ball have been
played throughout history, the
American kind of football is com-
pletely new. Its novel aspects are
the moving of the ball toward
the opponent's goal by carrying
it and the conscious, premedi-
tated use of brute force through
body contact tin earlier modes of
football, bodily contact was more
'ncidental than essential). Only
recently have other nations beun
GRIDIRON GODS
nerica's Favorite Sport Receives A New Analysis
But, even if this is true, it e spass. csaptured the public's imagi-I These things add up to the con- , coaches began to spend long hour
not the answer. Why should Ami- nation. Publicity was also impor- cilusion that the football hero is to outsmart instead of to over-
ericans choose football as a re- tant. When Walter Camp began a symbol of masculinity in Ameri- power their opponents.
flection and expression of theirg ecan culture. Otto Graham, star quarterback
character instead of somethingseletand backbone of the professional
c1e v ax on its way to tire bi' tose.
tgse? b rsTodyits a y begeaier ATHLI'ES have always been Cleveland Browns for many years
A. thing to be rememberedIs Today. its as easy, maybe easier, --considered more masculine and many times called the best
that American footbal began as and almost as remunerative to be- than the average man. And foot- qiuarterback that ever donned a
a contest only of brute force. come famous fr ing able to ball fits the very vague but very helmet, retired from football say-
There was no such thing as the imove with agility and a football strong masculinity goal quite nice- ing, "What wears you out at quar-
forward pass or the split-T. The at the same time as for starring ly because of its emphasis on terback isn't the physical strain.
ball was iven to a huge, power- in the cinema physical strength, It was this, no Its the mental pressure that goes
ful young man who ran straight Small boys are trained to an doubt, which initially spurred foot- with being the key man."
forward with it until stopped by affinity for the pigskin so that ball toward its overpowering im- Of course . Graham's job de-
one or more equally huge and by the time they exchange crushi- portance in American life, where pended on his ability to win. Yet,
powerful young men If his teams ing handshakes with the college it affects emotionally men who 'his remark reflects the preaure
failed to make a first down on two coach, they can handle them- have never touched a football, generated by somethings pre-
tries, it punted on third down. selves snd a football with the As the sport captured the pub- sumed importance.
In contrast, football is today adroitness of a black-jack dealer. lie's imagination, its importance
1 1 k OT ON Y ha t he gaime be
much more complex and mental. College stars iave been known to began to snowball and gather mu- N
However, no matter how close replace cowboys as heroes for soame mentum within itseslf. It was in- conre menial in the tactical
it is approaching to smrnething of the smaller male set evitable that there come the so and strategic sense. but also in
like chess, it has not lot its bre Becomin a football hero is thescalled "win complex," which in the psychological sense. How
tality. goal of almost every small boy turn added to the momentum. often the explanation for a teams
Irilly. 50'hloss is that it wast "ip" for tie
these days. And the, number of Football can hardly be big and
PROBABY ths bste xplanation grown men who never reveal their only for fun simultaneously, name,
I Graham ilso sarid a year after
for lre change is that human secret desire to have been a "rid- Of course, as winnin became riri "lsi s s ymprat
inenuity got into the eme. In- iron idol would be very srpris- more important, the game became retiring. 'Desire is so importa
nocations, such as the forwardd ingly hih. more mental, as players and ,n a contact sport ike football it
decides more games than tactics
and strategy do. Your best is
better when you really get y'our-
4 aself up for a game
It's no secret that winning is
:mportant in football, and that
etting the right player. from
hsr h school is import a t to wini-
nig
As a result footbll's force as a
rvursybl of masvulnity i 'n
pnforced by it rea-found force as
nrs"mbol also of suncess, in the
" t traditional American sense. In
addition to its primary reliance
en physicalstrength. the creative
ngenuity practiced by the strae-
ists of the game both on and
-x off the field of play, is remark-
tibly similar to the creative practi-
tal genius that has made this
country a giant in the production
of physical commodities. And the
desire to win is no less similar to
the spirit of competition in the
EMBLEMS AND SYMBOLS-Two youngsters equipped with appropriate pennants picture the in- American economy.
creasing attraction of football glory as a goal to the younger set. The pennants will later adorn a W HOSE SOUL is so dim that he
bedroom wall. has never imagined himself as
threading his way through eleven
M.vytified opponents. stiffrining
one here and fentmr another out
of position then and streaking
marvelously toward the goaltlie
amidst the tremendous roa'ing
-nd cheein" of a 100,000 thrilnd
In summa r mlu su ss ed ies
that it ws athe bauic in.curiry
rAmeriean meann itn mad pos-
ible the glor sllt i football,
hat this is hay the pubicse a
fiIrst captivated and that the so-
ncalled over-emphasirs oen wining
came later as a u iteral adjunct.
' awer all the questions of
the day ivich pet-i to the fu-
rtu e of college fooball, it will first
be necessary to plce the ame in
g its pmoper perspective,. hich
means to take mino account the
needs its satisies as nell as the
ends, mf any its ncrves. America
must someday become rational
WAITING-A captivated crowd tenses while the quarterback (No. 12), the key player in a football i about football, and reserve its
offense who decides strategy with split-second decisions and gets the brunt of responsibility and Ares- emotions for something a bit mor.