The Dominion. SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1937. FIELDS OF SPORTSMANSHIP

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 255, 24 July 1937, Page 10

The Dominion. SATURDAY, JULY 24, 1937. FIELDS OF SPORTSMANSHIP

“Peace hath her victories no less than war.” The implications of this saving are comprehensive, but they may be conveniently limited to sdt Xt is perhaps the twst-diseussed topic o the —- is the impending struggle between the New Zealand Alßlack and the South African Springboks for the honours in the field of It has been said that a nation which exhausts the overflow of its energies in athletic sports, thus providing a healthy for both Players and spectators, is comparatively easy to gov.rn. Up to a point this may be a comforting assurance. When distraction becomes pure obsession, however, more serious matters are . to be neglected. As long as we maintain our sense of pioportion, and keep our sports and recreations within reasonable bounds, the e could be no better way of letting off our superfluous s earn. Sporting fields of valour have-been popular distiactions for British people for centuries. From the mediaeval tournament to he test cricket and football fields of to-day is a far stretch, interval the rules of chivalry which placed the tourneys of early EngHsh history on a basis of strict fair play have become defeated tradition, and the essence of that spirit of modern sportsmanship which we call “playing the game.” Played according to the spin and the letter of rules devised for preserving and strengthening i s traditions, the game demands the. exercise of self-discipline, t . work, and concentration. Proficiency ca s for clean living physical fitness. As in the theatre, where “the play s the thing, so in the field it should be the game itself. “We play the game,” said the South African Rugby captain in an interview in Sydney, “first, for the games sake, then or he players’ sake, and for the spectators sake last of all. Ihe suggestion here is that there is a tendency, stimulated by the giowth of international tournaments in such games as tennis, cricket, and football, and the expenses connected with these, to think more ot the gallery than of the game, of test matches as box-office attractions. It may not be as bad as that, but certain it is. that the more speed and action, the more “thrills,” can be imparted into a football ma.ch, the better the gallery likes it, and the greater inducement there is. to think of rules and methods of play to provide that element of excitement that will make the spectators feel that they have had their money s In international contests, such as those about to commence between the New Zealand and South African Rugby representatives, it is not merely the gallery that is looking on, but the peoples ot two countries, listening in on their wireless sets or reading the reports o the matches, while by no means disinterested enthusiasts in other countries are doing the same. The boundaries of the field of play have been vastly extended, and it would hardly be surprising if tus blaze of publicity did not at times go to the heads of the players. The merits of the game, and the spirit of sportsmanship displayed, become then not only a matter of gallery opinion, but also, of public opinion over a very wide field of observation arid criticism. Ine greater, then, is the responsibility laid upon the players, themselves to see that the manner in which they comport themselves in the arena is in accordance with the highest traditions of the game. The Springboks have a record in matches against.the All Blacks that has earned our respect for their prowess. Their predecessors of 1921 registered in the three tests here one win, one loss, and one draw; the All Blacks in South Africa in 1928 played four. tests, won two, and lost two. On this record it looks like even going in the coining tests. On their showing in New South Wales lecently, the Springboks might even prove to be the better side. The prospect, therefore, is uncertain enough to intensify public interest in the. outcome, and if in the trial of strength about to begin the best traditions of our sportsmanship are sustained by both players and. spectators, the ultimate effects should have wider and more important implications than actual victories or defeats in the arena.