Congressman Torby Macdonald's suggestion that the Government finance a five-month training camp for the summer Olympic team is as misunderstood as it is well-meaning. In a small way, it demonstrates the grip on the American mind held by big-time athletics.

A former Crimson football captain, Macdonald has introduced a bill to provide for federal support of the Olympic team. He has explained that "sports are a common denominator between nations," and argues that since the team will represent the United States, it "therefore should make as creditable a showing as possible." Federal funds, he believes, will facilitate such a showing.

The first and most serious flaw in this simple scheme is that it would establish the state amateur here. Such a program, which we decry in communist countries, has no place in a free society, for it implies a continuing obligation on the part of all athletes to perform for their country.

Macdonald uses the existence of this system in Russia as an argument for his plan, and it is true that the Soviets have used it to develop first-rate athletes and well-drilled teams. But this system is inimical to American society. If part of the cost for a free society is that of inconsistent, or even poor athletics, it is well worth paying.

Macdonald errs once more when he concludes that a big expenditure, and the additional victories which might result therefrom, would constitute a showing reflecting credit on the U.S. He could scarcely be more inaccurate. Nothing has appeared sillier than recent press and public relations attempts to interpret every East-West sports decision as an indication of the supremacy or inherent weakness of capitalism or communism.

Nor does the U.S. strengthen its Western alliances by having the tallest basketball players or the quickest middle distance runners. "A creditable showing" consists of more than victories, and a supreme effort to win at any cost may often lead to neglect of standards of sportsmanship which more certainly than gold medals win respect from other nations.

Emphasis on Winning

American athletes have been faster with an excuse than on the ice or down a ski trail this winter, and the Carol Heiss-Tenley Albright "feud" has sorely detracted from their fine performances. Training and conditioning are fine things for an Olympic team, but while they may lead to victories they may not result in friends, and perhaps the budgetary appropriation urged by Macdonald would only intensify this emphasis on winning.

Public support for the Olympic team is a worthy goal, because international relations can be improved by friendly athletic conpetition. But for the government to step in financially would be a mistake because it would overemphasize the importance of winning and only add to the tensions that are bound to exist in the Games