Fortunate Sons: Football Qing Style

When we think of football, we think of the Superbowl and half-time performances and million-dollar commercials. However, a hundred and fifty years ago the game was not seen as worthy of people's time...especially the time of young scholars. And concrete rules didn't exist.  At Yale, it was a bit of a school spirit ritual. And, in 1850, the intercollegiate game consisted of the freshman class (126 men) against the sophomores (123 men.) What's fascinating about this story---other than the image of 126 men facing off against 123 men--is that one of those freshmen was named Yung Wing who had been brought to the United States a few years earlier by returning missionaries.  He was dressed for the time--with long queue and long silk robes.

Explained authors Liel Liebovitz and Matthew Miller in their book Fortunate Sons, "(Yung) suddenly spotted the ball rolling his way. He picked up the odd object and tucked it under the long sleeve of his robe....He began to run as fast as he could... An observer wrote that Yung's queue, the braid that all Chinese subjects were required to grow as demonstration of loyalty to their emperor, went 'flying in the air like a pump handle.' Desperate to stop the runaway freshman, a sophomore reached for Yung's hair and tugged on his queue. Yung felt a sharp pain, dropped the ball to the ground, and kicked it as hard as he could.  It sailed over the goal line, giving the freshmen an upset victory."  (pg. 19)

(To be continued.  Next: Fortunate Sons: First Time In History Foreigners Barred Entry.)