Life, 1925-11-19 · page 20 of 40
Life — November 19, 1925 — page 20: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece proposes a fictional hybrid sport combining American football with Spanish bullfighting. The joke addresses a real contemporary concern: that Spain was abandoning bullfighting for football, seen as cultural loss. The top cartoon shows raccoons discussing sending a son to college—a separate, unrelated joke about avoiding military service ("overcoat" likely refers to a soldier's uniform). The main article invents "football" using an actual bull instead of a ball, with Spanish bullfighting terminology ("foreros," "chulo," "espada"). It describes a mock game between fictional teams "Yaleo" and "Harvado" in Andalusia, complete with play-by-play action. The satire's point: Life magazine suggests this absurd hybrid would preserve Spain's "picturesque atmosphere" and tradition while appearing "progressively" modern. It's mock-serious mockery of both cultural conservation and the era's assumptions about national character.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
~ LI is this? The } of disdain he i punter’s foot and iail bull Vo half pi i EY the bull by th off and, gettir “dirty air tot skilful movemic Feeils ‘ lops Visiting Raccoon: 1 SUPPOSE YOU'LL SOON BE SENDING YOUR SON TO COLI Mamma Raccoon: Me? NoT MUCH! 1 DIDN'T RAISE MY BOY TO BE AN OVERCOAT. The Modem and Honorable Game of Footbull goal lin tren stands LWAYS inventive, the Press has recently issued the “Cuatro — cinco — veinte-dos — Corona-Corona — Thus Asis that football is replacing bullfighting as once....Juan Maria Cortes Ramon de Vega y Guacho y the bu the national sport of Spain. If this be so, Spain is Guzman y Alcardit al postrero! Allay...hoop!” the for on the way to reducing, if not eliminating, the tradition It is a smashing line play. The red line surges, push- wane of her enjoyment of cruclty in sport. ing, heaving, the giant backs strain, but the bull stands — son ar It would be a pity, however, to lose entirely the color firm. Second down...ten yards to gain. The third at- and the picturesque atmosphere of the historic bullfights; tempt fails as well. Caray! This is some bull. The Igable. Harvado must punt! ! What therefore, conservatively progressive, we suggest “foot- brave bull is_unt bull,” a combination of foothall and bullfight, retaining “Uno—crento——" But caramba de caraml the happiest features of each. Eleven foreros on cach side procced in the usual manner of gridiron contests, only instead of using a hall they use a bull. In other words, the object of nce the bull the contest shall be for one side to adv; across the enemy goal line while the opposing forcras in their place, seek to entice, lure, push or otherwise force the bull back in the other direction. The first “ti the enemy goal posts scores six. Not attempting for the moment to take up the finer points, let us visualize the most important game eleven to make the bull say "or “uncle” behind of the season—the annual classic between Valeo and Harvado. The stands are crowded and the colors wave. The bull is de bes’ dam’ blue-blooded bullerino in all Andalusia. The contestants have paraded magnificently about the field in all the glory and glitter of ancient Spain. The Yalco captain tosses the Harvado captain for geal and chooses to attack. The bull is led to the middle of the field, where he stands snorting and pawing the ground. The whistle blows. With a flanking movement of his foot the Yaleo chulo, or left guard, starts the bull down the field. This is the kick-off. Harvado swarms forward in a crimson mass, and the game is on—first down, Harvado's bull on her thirty-five-yard line. Hark, now to the crisp command of the cspade, the quarterback and brains of the team: THE MAN WHOSECEED comicbooks.com