Apeil 3, 190S] 



SCIENCE 



547 



SPECIAL ARTICLES 

 COMPETITIVE ATHLETICS AND SCHOLARSHIP 



One of the most important considerations 

 for schools and colleges in this whole prob- 

 lem of athletic control is that of scholarship. 



This paper is an attempt to answer some of 

 the questions which have arisen regarding 

 the scholarship of students on teams represent- 

 ing educational institutions and the effect of 

 competitive athletics on scholarship. It will 

 also endeavor to show what are some of the 

 causes which produce this result and to sug- 

 gest remedies therefor. 



The materials were largely collected in 1898, 

 but no use was made of them until December, 

 1905. 



The questions which will mostly concern 

 us are: (A) Is there a material difference 

 in scholastic standing between the students 

 who represent our schools and colleges on 

 athletic teams and those who do not? (B) If 

 there is such a difference, whether in favor of 

 or against the athlete, is it due to competitive 

 athletics immediately or remotely, or to the 

 natural mental powers, or disposition of 

 athletes ? (C) If there is a material differ- 

 ence, whether due to competitive athletics or 

 natural powers, what should be our attitude 

 toward it? The major part of this paper will 

 be devoted to matters of fact indicated in 

 (A) and (B). 



(A) Is the scholarship of athletes on varsity 

 teams materially different from that of their 

 classmates ? 



Historical. — The bibliography of this sub- 

 ject, which has to do with facts, or statistics, 

 was, until quite recently, very meager, 

 although there is scarcely an educator of note 

 but has expressed his opinion upon it on one 

 side or the other. Of the few contributions 

 which deal with facts we select the following 

 as bearing most directly on our theme. 



In 1889 Professor E. L. Eichards, of Tale 

 University, wrote in the Popular Science 

 Monthly that, having examined the records of 

 2,425 students, he found the athletes to fall 

 slightly behind the non-athletes in scholarship. 



The bursar of the University of Pennsyl- 



vania some seven years ago published the 

 statement that for that year the scholarship of 

 the athlete at the University of Pennsylvania 

 fell below that of the student body about 4 

 per cent., an amount which he considered 

 negligible. 



In Science for July, 1906, is an article on 

 "Intercollegiate Athletics and Scholarship" 

 by Professor William Trufant Foster, of 

 Bowdoin College. This deals in a compre- 

 hensive and scientific manner with the facta 

 regarding the scholarship of athletes and non- 

 athletes in colleges and schools. 



Professor Foster found by a careful ex- 

 amination of the scholarship records at Bates 

 College for the five years 1900-1901 to 1904- 

 1905, that the average annual difference in 

 rank between the students playing on the 

 baseball and football teams varied from four 

 to eight per cent, with an average difference 

 for the whole period of " 5.6 per cent., always 

 in favor of the men who have not taken part 

 in intercollegiate games." In this investiga- 

 tion the grades were made up by twenty-five 

 instructors. There were 132 athletes and 620 

 non-athletes. 



In a similar study of the football and base- 

 ball men, just completed at Bowdoin College, 

 Professor Foster found for the five years from 

 1899-1900 to 1903-1904 an average annual 

 difference in favor of the non-athletes vary- 

 ing from .95 per cent, to 5.21 per cent, with 

 an average difference for the whole period of 

 2.8 per cent. These figures represent each 

 year the scholarship records of 280 men. They 

 were compiled by students in education at 

 Bowdoin. 



He reports further that all the secondary 

 schools from which he had adequate returns 

 showed similar records. These schools are 

 quite varied in character. At Brighton 

 Academy the ranks for four years show that 

 the athletes are one per cent, behind; at 

 Thomaston High School for four years the 

 athletes fall three per cent, below the others; 

 at Westbrook Seminary, a private school, the 

 athletes are slightly below the others; at 

 Hebron Academy the athletes for three years 

 fell five per cent, below the non-athletes. 



