One aspect of college football which the Carnegie Report did not include, and upon which it said neither yea nor nay, is the system of scheduling the games themselves. Today the H. A. A. issues the Harvard football schedule for 1932, although these games will not be played until two and one half years from now, or until all but the present Freshmen have departed.
While this is not, strictly speaking, over-emphasizing the game, it is indicative of the fact that football has attained so commercial a tinge that prospective matchmakers have to start looking for opponents three years ahead of time. It is not the fault of the Harvard athletic authorities that they have to arrange their schedules so early; it is rather the fault of conditions universally present in college football combined with a faculty ruling that limits the number of games played away from the Stadium by Harvard teams. All colleges are making football agreements with one another now and unless Harvard wants to be left out in the cold it too must take part in the early hunt for games. Further, here the necessity for the early scheduling of games is doubly strong because the University team is obliged each year to find seven opponents out of eight who are willing to come here.
Not until the rule that permits Harvard to play only one game a year away from home is revoked can the University hope to escape from being entangled in the present unfortunate system of schedule-making.
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