FOOT JIALh JA OMAHA. Next to the signal victory of the Unl verslty of Nebraska team over theli Iowa rivals In the Thanksgiving daj foot ball game and It was a victor } whose Importance Is not to be depre catojl the chief significance of the even1 Is the Increasing popularity of foot bal and the growing Interest In the spor among the people of Omaha mid 01 the neighboring western cities. While the foot ball fever has been raging foi several years throughout the cast , ant whole communities have been gnlm wild over the exhibitions of skill afoot ball between teams from the large ) colleges , foot ball has languished in tin west almost solely because of lack o popular support. The throng In attendance upon the Omaha game thl year surpassed In size , In character ant In enthusiasm those of nil prcvloui years. It seemed ns If almost everybody was there , and those who had m pretensions nt knowledge of the pin ; were the most eager to be Instructed In a word , the progress of foot ball li popular favor Is a very gratifying am noticeable feature. We must not , however , omit to nt tribute n large part of this growing pop ularlty to the better training and th greater skill which the visiting team from the universities of the two state have been bringing with them. In th Thanksgiving day game the victor won simply because their opponent were outclassed , and yet the lown players , In the opinion of competent criticf were considerably In advance of the ! predecessors of a year ago. The worl moreover , was commentlably free fror the brutal action and unnecessary vl < Icnce with which the east has of lat been Inflicted. If the Improvement o the western foot ball teams keeps pnc with the spread of general knowlcdg of the game , there Is no reason wh foot ball should not occupy the sam pre-eminent position in the local worl of sport that it docs In cities cast of ui
