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GRAPH SHOWS INFLUENCE OF FOOTBALL ON ENTRIES

EXONIAN TAKES UP DISCUSSION OF OVEREMPHASIS

NO WRITER ATTRIBUTED

That there is a definite relation between the football prowess at Harvard, and the College's popularity with typical New England preparatory schools, is conclusively shown in the graph shown below.

Interested in the current discussion on the overemphasis of football, enterprising editors of the Exonian at Phillips Exeter Academy have delved into the statistics of Senior classes for the last six years at the school, and have figured percentages which may very well be taken as typical of other preparatory schools in the vicinity of Harvard.

It will be seen on the graph that in 1919, after a long succession of football victories over Yale and Princeton, 40 per cent, of the Senior class at Exeter had elected to come to Harvard. But in that year, the football team met defeat at the hands of Yale and was held to a tie by Princeton; the popularity of the college dropped immediately, so that the next fall, only 22 per cent, of the class came to Harvard, while attendance at Yale rose from 12 to about 27 per cent.

For the next three years, in the seasons of 1920, 1921, and 1922. Harvard again triumphed over Yale, and its popularity rose steadily while that of Yale decreased. Since 1923, Yale's popularity has increased by nearly 10 per cent.

Although the graph holds good when applied to Yale and Harvard, it fails almost entirely in connection with Princeton, attendance there even falling off a few points after a 34 to 0 victory over Harvard. On the other hand, however, it will be noticed that the Tigers were beaten by Yale 10 to 7.

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