BY JOHN BAIN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The annual Army versus Navy game took center this past Saturday as the lone game on the college football schedule. The game captures the attention of all sports fans across the United States regardless if they are fans of football or not. It even grabs viewership from those that are not sports fans at all. The Army Navy game is about far more than football. It is about pride and honour.
These are young men who will one day defend the right of their nation in battle, whether it is on the front lines, in the reserves, or dropping in from the sky or sea, to fight for their countries freedom. The sport of football however, helps these young men go through their academy training in ways a normal cadet or midshipmen will go through. They battle through adversity week in and week out just as they would on the battlefield. It could be injury, mental battles, or even the rough game of football thickening their skin.
This game puts the pride on a nation on display. The respect these young men are given is not based on the score, but rather the sacrifice they have given to go to these schools. It is rare to find any division one football program that has the diversity of hometowns these kids are from. The top players turn down offers from top programs to devote themselves to their country.
The young men who are on both the Army and Navy rosters – not to mention Air Force as well – have schedules that would be hard for any normal person, these kids are special. They are up at 6 AM every day for practice, followed up by classes until noon, are then off to training for their positions in wartime, and then study until late in the night, just to do it all over again the next day.
One aspect these men do not lack is character.
The amount of character they possess rivals no one. You will never see a player on either side have an ego that is out of this world, or an act of violence that has no place in football. They are strong men who represent the flag on their helmets, and do not want to shame it in any way.
If they were to take away the game altogether, nothing would change. People would still come out just to see these young men march out onto that field. Pure respect.
Sure, Navy has won every game against Army in the past decade, but this game is about more than football, it is about these young men who are willing to put their lives on the line following their four years at the academy.
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