AMERICAN FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1019, 7 January 1911, Page 13

AMERICAN FOOTBALL.

A CURIOUS GAME. American football \ (says an English' journal) is . probably the most dangerous game played in any civilised country; its death record for the'last; year ran up to 32, the victim^;- including 9 high. l ischool boys, .12 collegs s!iicleiits;-'?ia'fifl t 'l I lT' other players. The causes of death were classified as body blows 5, injuries to spine.- G, concussion of brain 7, blood- ' poisoning 2, and other causes 12. These statistics are the more remarkable from i the fact that in America the football) season is a short, one, closing ordinarily I with Thanksgiving Day, tho last Thurs--day in November. 'The school authorities in several-cities, including New York; St. Louis, and' Washington, have lately prohibited the game owing to its . serious risks, and many of the- leading private schools havo done the same. -j An article published .not long ago ia: the "Harvard Bulletin" helps to explain, j the excessivo casualty-list.' The writer,! who has been connected with tho man-1 agement of Harvard teams for several! years, says that players arc now coached • always to strike an opponent' on the face or head with tho open hand when tie-, fending the ball. "This blow landed on' the jaw," he explains, "is fully as-effec-tive, so far as-its jarring effect on tha;brain is concerned, as a blow 'with a ; closed fist, would be." Again, every lineman is now taught that .tho way to get! by his opponent "is to ■ 'push* his head j around, and incidentally that the. harder j he 'pushes'-his head .the less effective'; that opponent will be in the next play."/ It is mentioned further that in last year's Harvard-Yale garao a "straight-; arm punch in the face" was used as part of au effective tackle.