The Rise Of Football

Why did football become a popular sport in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
How did football fit into the "Strenuous Age?"
What does the history of football reveal about gender during this period?
What were the consequences of the "1905 football crisis?"

First College Football Game
- Played between Princeton and Rutgers in 1869.
Formation of the Intercollegiate Football Association (IFA)
- In 1874, delegates from Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and Harvard established IFA.

Background
- Played football at Yale from 1875 to 1882.
Contributions to the Game
- Responsible for significant rule changes:
- 1880: Introduction of the Line of Scrimmage; teams comprised of 11 men each.
- 1882: Introduction of 3 “downs” to gain 5 yards to retain possession of the ball.
- 1888: Legalized tackling below the waist.

Cultural Perception of Football
- Cartoon illustration depicting a first-time spectator's shock at the sport's violence:
- Mrs. Newcome: "Oh! isn't it awful? Horrible! Why, they will kill that man underneath!"
- Her Daughter: "Oh! he doesn't mind it, Mother. He's unconscious by this time! Not so bad."
- Illustrates varying perceptions of football's brutality and player's injuries.

Scientific Management
- Focus on optimizing performance and efficiency in football akin to industrial production:
- Labor tasks organized, measured, and timed.
- Concept of Standardization and Specialization.
Walter Camp's Modeling
- Modeled football teams on industrial production structures:
- Creation of a machine-like system requiring specialized roles for each player, known as Scientific Football.
- Promoted professionalism in the sport with formal coaches and training, ensuring football was seen as "work, not just play."
- Influenced by Frederick W. Taylor's principles of efficiency.

Published Works
- Edited the Official Football Guide for Spalding’s Athletic Library in August, 1904.

Description of Football Spectacle
- Emotional engagement and community during games:
- Example: At exciting moments, the atmosphere captured as an “ascendancy of enthusiasm” reflects the excitement generated during the great Princeton-Yale game as reported in the New York Herald, December 1, 1893.

Roosevelt's Philosophy
- Advocated for the “strenuous life” as opposed to “ignoble ease”:
  - “I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; […] the highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil.”
- Quote from Roosevelt, who served as Governor of NY in 1899.

Concerns Regarding Safety
- Reports on violence in football, leading to severe injuries and fatalities:
- Mention of Richard Von Gammon (1897) concerning mortality and calls for safety measures; note that Georgia briefly considered outlawing the sport under Governor Atkinson.

Societal Commentary on Risks
- Reporting on fatalities in football, termed as the “Twelfth Player” due to its alarming nature.
- Example: New York World, November 14, 1897 headline discussing football-related deaths.

David Starr Jordan (Stanford):
- Advocates for football: “The tendency of the game of football is in every way in the direction of manliness.” Notes the significance of brotherhood and loyalty developed among players.
William Rainey Harper (University of Chicago):
- Comments on societal sacrifices, comparing them to the benefits of promoting vigorous and unsullied manhood through football.
Edwin G. Dexter (University of Illinois):
- Emphasizes the importance of physical challenges in football, highlighting its role in virility and expression; warns against removing dangerous elements from the sport as that would lead to a loss of value in manly competition.

Nicknamed “Boy Killing” or “Gladiatorial Sport”
- The movement to ban football intensified; Muckrakers and Progressives circulated criticisms of football:
- Highlighted issues of corruption, cheating, academic fraud, professionalism, and violence.
- Journalist Henry Beech Needham of McClure’s magazine brought these issues to light.

Statistics on Fatalities
- Details around the frequency of deaths due to unnecessary roughness and the causes linked to injuries: typically involved players suffering blows to the head or stomach leading to serious internal injuries or concussion.
- Example from Washington Post, October 15, 1905, reported alarming statistic trends.

Involvement of President Roosevelt
- Roosevelt convened a White House meeting in October with delegates from Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to discuss reducing brutality in football, emphasizing player safety.
- Notable participants included:
  - Harold Moore (Union vs. NYU) in November.
  - NYU Chancellor Henry McCracken in December.
  - Charles Eliot of Harvard's involvement also noted.
- These discussions led to a broader convention in New York focusing on sports reform.

Roosevelt's Comment
- During the meeting with college officials, he quipped: "You are a fine, sturdy fellow, but you need a little polish."

Table of Deaths and Serious Injuries
- Injury data reflecting deaths and serious injuries at various educational levels, showing a trend over the years:
- 1905: College - 3 deaths, Total - 18 serious injuries.
- Projection continues through the years, with significant upticks and shifts in the statistics:
  - 1906: 11 deaths, 3 serious injuries.
  - 1907: 11 deaths, 2 serious injuries.
  - 1908: 13 deaths, 6 serious injuries.
  - 1909: 26 deaths, 10 serious injuries.
  - Continuing trends all the way through 1916, with reports of cumulative fatalities and injuries.
- Data sources include the New York Times and Chicago Tribune.

Formation of the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NIAA)
- Established in 1906, marking a move towards modern governance of college athletics with 62 charter member-schools.
- NIAA was a forerunner to the NCAA, aimed to reform and enhance football safety and its public image.
Evolution to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
- Established in 1910 to continue reform efforts and ensure player safety.

Gameplay Changes
- Limitations imposed on team composition:
- Only 5 players allowed in offensive backfield.
- 6 men required on the line.
- First down requirement changed to 10 yards.
- Game duration reduced from 70 minutes to 60 minutes.
- Introduction of the forward pass as a significant gameplay element.
- Overall, from 1910 to 1950, the sport witnessed around 500 high school and college deaths related to football injuries, emphasizing ongoing safety concerns.

Popular Sentiment Post-Crisis
- Emergence of attitudes towards ensuring a "safer game" in response to public outcry regarding the dangerous nature of football, urging ethical play and responsibility among institutions.