Judge — June 9, 1928 — page 17: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This is a satirical cartoon titled "Super-Graduate Activities" depicting Yale's star athlete being "tapped" (recruited) by J.P. Morgan & Co. The joke criticizes the practice of major corporations recruiting elite university athletes upon graduation. The cartoon shows a well-dressed man (representing J.P. Morgan & Co., the prominent banking firm) literally grabbing or "tapping" a young athlete, while a large crowd of people watches from the building above—likely representing other corporations also competing for talented graduates. The satire suggests that even celebrated athletic achievers at prestigious institutions like Yale were being commodified and recruited directly into corporate service, reducing their post-graduation prospects to corporate employment rather than individual choice or merit beyond athletics. This reflects early 20th-century concerns about corporate influence on American institutions and graduates.