The Army-Navy game is the last bastion of amateur athletics in America today. At least in Div. I NCAA Football.
And regardless of relevancy or outcome, it can be appreciated as such. Of course the terminally shallow and overly young who were raised by an XBOX and do not understand the nuances of life cannot be expected to understand subtle things like real, old-fashioned amateur football. Played by young men who've pledged to give their lives for you, should that be necessary.
A few years ago, Roger Staubach was doing color for the Army-Navy game, and read a couple of bios, to make a point. His point was, there is a distinct difference between a traditional NCAA player and a player at the service academies. He started by reading one bio, of an NCAA player (whose name I forget). His stats in college, his team's records, all his accolades and describes his fairly successful professional football career and post-football career.
Then, he begins reading the bio of a player who had a "decent" career at Navy. Never heard of the dude, but after he reads the guy's college stats, he states that he was commissioned a 2LT of Marines. In the next phrase, he starts by reading "And on 28 July 1968, in Long Binh Province" and I'm already tearing up and losing it, and then Staubach proceeds to read a Posthumous Medal of Honor Citation for this obscure NCAA College Athlete, Son of Some Mother, Somewhere, US Marine and Hero.
Dudes; if you don't care for the Army-Navy game, try shutting your cakeholes and quit being disrespectful. Someone who "supported the military" and "loved their country" would've refrained from firing off those idiotic posts just to show how "edgy" you are. Better men than you play on both sides of the ball in this game, and if you can't respect that, no-one really wants to hear it. No-one who matters, that is.
