Eitzmann says the best explanation for the high numbers of football players in the social sciences is that younger players take their cues from older ones.

"Everyone on the team is so close," Eitzmann says. "In that sense, players stick together on such a level that the upperclassmen take on more than just the roles of teammates and friends."

"Because of that a lot of players end up doing the same things," he adds.

Another big factor is the time commitment football entails--hours of practice during the season and again in the spring and travel on weekends during the fall.

Star wide receiver J. Terence Patterson '00, a government concentrator, said that many players look for concentrations they can schedule around practices.

"Well, generally you're going to take classes with your buddies, but social science concentrations definitely allow more flexibility," says star wide receiver J. Terence Patterson '00.

Patterson came to Harvard intending to be pre-med, but dropped that ambition after it clashed with his practice schedule--from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. every weekday.

"My freshman year I took Chem 5 and Chem 7 and I was really struggling to balance football and the tremendous time commitment that can be required of science classes," Patterson says.