¥ Mareh, 1941 slightly by the fact that it’s bread and butter to them, but we feel that they’re giving their sincerely honest opinions. ‘‘No normal boy is going to be hurt playing basketball any more than in any other strenuous sport,” declares Harold E. Olsen of Ohio State University. ‘‘To my knowl- edge there is no medical evidence to support the assertion that bas- ketball is too fast and is hurting the boys. The game should not be played by anyone with a heart defect.” Frank Keaney of Rhode Island State, whose teams average better than sixty points a game, has sim- ilar ideas. ‘“‘This so-called ‘race- horse’ type of basketball is not detrimental to the health of the player,” he says. ‘‘By actual tests, players at the end of the season are in better shape than boys who do not participate. If a player gets himself into good shape, his heart will not be injured. ‘‘After thirty years of coaching I have come to the conclusion that basketball as played today is ex- cellent. The crowd loves the new game. Give them what they want and they’ll come back to see you again. Put the boy into shape and he’ll enjoy the fast tempo.”’ Coach Keaney also declares that among other things, a coach should see that his boys get plenty of rest, good food and lots of sleep. ‘“We found that a boy who dances the night before a game is not at his: best the last ten minutes of a game,’’ he observes. Sam Barry at the University of Southern California is another who insists there is no harm in the present. style. “With the elimination of the center jump there was a tendency to race-horse the game,’’ says the Trojan coach. ‘‘But after a year’s experience, teams have adjusted their pace. The new type of game is more pleasing to the spectator and has increased scoring. It has many other favorable advantages.”’ Wesley Fesler, Harvard’s basket- ball coach, doesn’t think the game is detrimental if proper condition- ing work has been done. ‘‘Our kids don’t feel that they are being over- worked—and we don’t have very many,” he opines. This also is the viewpoint held by Ward Lambert of Purdue—one of the best known coaches in the business. ‘‘In twenty-five years of coaching I know of no ill-effects from basketball,’ he adds. ‘‘We use a fast break and invariably our players have gained weight by the end of the season. They-are given thorough physical examinations before the season and also ‘cold shots.’ ”” But hold—here comes the re- buttal, the dissenting voices among the coaches who uphold Phog Allen’s views! One is from Clair Bee of Long Island University, whose quintets have made basketball history in the past few years. Two seasons ago his Blackbirds set an all-time college record of 44 straight wins. “T ean’t say whether basketball as played today is detrimental to health,” he asserts, “but I do know it is extremely strenuous— mentally and physically. There should be a break in the game after a basket is scored so players, coaches and spectators can relax.” And another—from Dr. H. C. Carlson of the U. of Pittsburgh. “Elimination of the center jump makes for a game which is exhaust- ing to spectator and player alike,”’ he says. ‘‘The average fan likes a few seconds to reflect and possibly comment to his companion on a successful shot. Under the new rules we certainly have action, but possibly we have too much action —for both spectators and players.”’ This continuous, unrelieved ten- sion perhaps was responsible for many startling incidents last win- ter, such as the one at Fulton, Missouri, where teams from Tarkio and Westminster Colleges were battling in a heated game. As the bitterly-fought first half came to a close, the timer raised his gun. The shot rang out. And down from the rafters floated a dead guinea hen. That crowd, at least, relaxed. It will be noted that coaches and others who favor the modern game assert it is not harmful to a boy in good physical condition. And there’s the rub. What is good physical condition? Even doctors are puzzled at times. C. Paul White, President of the Kewanee, Illinois, Board of Health, wrote a letter recently to the Illinois Medical Journal, ask- ing physicians of the state to arise in protest against the dangers of basketball. In it, he declared: “The game has been speeded up to such an extent that in my opin- ion it is actually dangerous... Re- cently, a boy in a nearby town collapsed at the close of a game and died an hour later... No matter how well checked these boys are, there are bound to be some whose hearts cannot and will not stand the strain.” And then there’s the scholarly dissertation written by Dr. J. A. Walee of Columbus, Ohio, and published in the Journal Lancet of Minneapolis. ““Tnadequate recognition is given the condition known as potential heart disease in cases involving participation in athletics,’’ he states. ‘‘The question of what con- stitutes ...a degree dangerous in athletic competition is not settled.” In other words, heart trouble is something that doesn’t make itself known the next afternoon. A check- up over a period of weeks on pulse, blood pressure, etc., may show no immediate ill effects—but one doesn’t need a volume of medical books to realize that a little strain here and a little strain there sooner or later becomes a big doctor bill. Coaches and surveys to the con- trary notwithstanding, these are the facts. Heart ailments still con- stitute a vast medical mystery— and race-horse basketball is sow- ing a erop of ailing tickers that many of today’s young players will reap regretfully in later life. But the turnstiles click merrily on! tt 159 “ay SHIRTSNN BY. “ [flag OPO fe’ LA PLAYA |, SPORTSWEAR Put away your cares... and put on a heart- warming, eye-filling KAMA-SPUN jacket! Famed from Cape Cod to Catalina... grand for indoors .. . great for the great outdoors. Deep-piled, lightweight, warm, fuxurious ... in . rich colours and new ’ models for 1941. The style shown is $3.50 A college education in style — the newest La Playa fingertip- length Reversible Topper! One side is finely-woven corduroy ... the other is Zelan poplin, windproof and water-repellent. If you're a campus man, a young executive, or just a smart guy... you'll need one! $8.95 b i TY : Look for La Playa Sportswear Marly says and Marlboro Shirts in the smartest stores in your town... for styles that make news, and friends! Or write direct to Marlboro Shirt Co., Lombard & Paca Sts., Balto., Md.