Root for or be sympathetic to the US Naval Academy. That’s right, its Army Navy game day. (0430 AM Sunday Japan Standard Time…….Maybe I’ll get up for it…).
Since I had what I consider to be a proper military education; at a “true” Military College ( all male and with a true cadet “system”.), I have a love / hate relationship with the service Academies. Especially the US Naval Academy, since I turned down an appointment there, in order to attend my beloved alma mater. It’s a decision I have never regretted.
It’s not that the service academies are not still good colleges, its just that they stopped being true military academies a long time ago. The decay began in 1976 when they admitted women, and accelerated in the 1990’s and early years of this decade as other scandals and issues overtook them. As a result, they have the symbols of an proud and storied institution, but none of the substance.
However, today is the day to put those major imperfections aside and root for the Brigade of midshipmen and their team. Army Navy is probably the last real representation of what college sports competition is supposed to be, but has ceased to be. The big universities are simply training grounds for the pros, and small colleges never get the recognition they should in Football ( Basketball is a slightly different story).
The players who take the field for the Army Navy game though, will not be on their way to the pro’s though, at least not as in pro football. They will spend a minimum of 5 years, most a lot longer and in today’s military in an increasingly dangerous environment. So it is really a game that all American, and for that matter the world can watch. And cheer and root for a little honest competition.
Then tomorrow, my usual sniping at them can resume. But for today: GO NAVY!!!!!
