Athletic Awards Awry

Arthur Valpey brought the Michigan system to Harvard football last year, but it's a shame he didn't inspire the Athletic Association with a sensible mid-western approach to the business of awarding sports letters as well. The HAA could certainly use some new ideas in this department. It has been operating on a dried-up and unfair basis that is as out-of-date as the flying wedge.

The "system" goes roughly like this: a player in a major sport gets his big "H" even if he sees only five seconds of action against Yale--but an athlete in a minor sport, no matter how many records he may smash, has to be content with a small letter. And if a player in any sport misses his Yale game, whatever the reason, he doesn't get a letter at all.

There is machinery which can set straight any injustice, but it's so complicated that only most glaring examples are rectified. A standout player who is unable to play Yale can get his letter by the grace of several committee okays; but worthy players who aren't standouts are generally regarded as tough luck cases. The bureaucratic gears can't be oiled up for every unfortunate athlete, and there's no way for a neglected player to beat the "H" out of them.

The best way to untangle this executive snarl would be to drop the requirement that a man must compete against Yale to earn his letter--a horse-and-buggy relie pure and simple. The right of players to the "H" is something the coaches should decide. Captains of minor sports squads deserve major letters--this has been recognized heretofore, but again only in special cases. Finally, to improve the morale of minor sports athletes, squads having excellent but not perfect records should receive major letters (teams with perfect seasons get them automatically). These changes have long been needed; if the HAA embraces modernization on the field of battle, it surely shouldn't shy away from new and sensible administrative policies.