THE QADRE, TUES., NOV. 6, 1973 Page 3

KamPus Koncern

Dialectic of Jockism,

It probably isn‘t in vogue _to criticise varsity sports at U.P.E.I: especially when our belovéd Football Panth- ers are having the best sea— son in their short history. But I do not intend to take aim at the players, coaches managers, etc.,of the var- .ious varsity teams, I in- stead want to talk about the relevancy of varsity athletics to people, to the majority of people at U.P.E.I. and the exact place for varsity athlet- ics in a campus community.

For the purpose of common amusement I will call this escapade the "dialectic of ' Jockism". For indeed even in the sport wbrld issues surface: issues concerning the meaning of competition: and professionalism in sports for example! It is with great awe that I wat- ched the various.players associations formed in the major leagues. With the unionization of players a new era of professionalism has dawned.

Has any one noticed in the last few years that the agressivemess of most major league, (especially NFL) associations has been toned down to prevent serious in- jury to/a player so that his career will not be cut short of its potential? This, I think, is a direct result of the formation of player's associations. It has fostered a sense of comradship among the play3 ers on and off the field.

Off the field the assoc- iations protect the play- er from being "ripped—off by big management (and as was witnessed in the And- reWS case with Charles Finlay), on the field it promotes the looking beyond of frantic, in— sane competition, to the development of the art of sport. After all, a playj er can expect to play for several teams in his car: eer, making the long term outlook much more important than the short run View. This means increased empha- sis on player development than on strict "win at any cost" thinking. In other words, the professionals. are finally becoming pro—

Photo by*3IfiACROMBIE

fessionals.

What about the varsity level? well, first off, a glaring minus at the uni- versity level is the lack of players associations in the various leagues. Of course, one can argue the ridiculousness of players associations at university because no contracts are signed. But does not this shade the issue? It is com— mon knowledge that most hockey and football play- ers get some kind of renu- meration be it in the form of reduced tuition fees or under the table direct caSh hand outs, even though this is illegal in Canada.

I personally am in support 0f Giving athletic scholarships to exception— a1 students. Why? ~ BecaUSe professional sports has become a great market for giving young people a chance at a very inter- esting and worthwhile life. Probably more interesting than an academic degree

«would or could ever give

them!

So here is where players associations at the uni- versity level would be very useful! It is up, then, to the players themselves to rectify the situation. If the players think they are being used or "ripped-off" by the university system then they must organize to fight back. Left unto themselves, the individual player stands no chance, but working as a collect: ivity the players can wei— eld considerable power.

However, another possibil— ity looms on the horizon! How much of a future does varsity sports have? Surely the dramatic increase in professionaly organised leagues and form systems are drawing the person who is interested in a career in sport. There are other

problems facing varsity sport as wellr for exam—, ple, at present there are quite a few students and administrators in North' America who are questioning the need for varsity sport at all at the university level! They claim that it is taking money from them that they cannot afford to

by ioel hansen

pay. And if they have to pay the athletic fees, it should be concentrated on intra—mural activities not on varsity sport which in- volves a very small minor- ity of the student popula- tion, and exists at great monetary expense. "The emphasis should be on stu- dent-participation not on student as spectator", they say.

Fundamentally, I agree with their objections: especially the one relating to student participation since most people on this campus are in pathetic physical condition. Some- how they think that drink- ing beer and standing on the edges of McAdam Field will keep them in good health. It‘s an obvious. myth.

There are two sides to any dialectic however! _Many students who support ,varsity sport argue that big league intra-collegiate competition promotes a sense of campus purpose and comradeship as they rally around their favourite teams "en masse". I would also agree with this View as well. U.P.E.I. is slack enough, socialy speaking, already: take away those Saturday football games, Sunday hockey games and stormy Monday basketball games and this place would be a drag.

And so the struggle con— tinues. The questions must be answered. Should cam— puses support varsity ath— letics or should the money and time Spent in develop— ing the special teams be spent on a wider group of athletes namely the intra— mural and subsidiary ath— letic endeavors?

What is your View? I, as well as the Cadre, would like response from the com— munity on this subject. It concerns your money there- fore your well being, ac— cording to the capitalist

'values which most students

are dominated by. And to

those that participate at the inter-collegiate level a special call for response goes out: after all it is you directly on whom we are passing judgement.