OldTimer’s Dugout - Off Topic Thread

#169,183
#169,183
Halph66 said:
No matter the opinions of some, that was a great game.

The Army–Navy football game matters because it’s bigger than football.

First, it’s about service, not sports. Every player on that field is a future military officer. They’re not going pro; they’re committing to years of service after graduation. That makes the rivalry fundamentally different from any other college game.

Second, it’s one of the oldest and most continuous rivalries in American sports. The first game was in 1890. It predates the NFL, most college conferences, and even the forward pass. The traditions—march-ons, uniforms, prisoner exchange—are intact because neither academy treats it like just another game.

Third, it’s culturally and nationally symbolic. The game is played standalone in December with no competing college games. It draws attention from presidents, senior military leadership, and a national audience because it represents the Army–Navy rivalry across all branches, not just athletics.

Fourth, the rivalry is real beyond the field. Army and Navy officers will work together in joint operations, but the competition between the services is baked into their identity. This game is the one place where that rivalry is openly settled head-to-head.

Bottom line: it’s significant because it represents tradition, service, sacrifice, and institutional pride—not rankings, NIL money, or bowl payouts. That’s why it still matters.
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Pretty sure there were at least 17 Army players and 2 Navy players enter the portal this past spring, more will happen this upcoming window. It’s just not the same anymore. I feel like the service academies should be off-limits whenever it comes to the transfer portal. That’s why I don’t like Skenes. Tomorrow is never promised and he chose the luxury life over the “commitment” he was suppose to have made whenever he joined. And I don’t want to hear crap about him serving whenever his playing days are over. He turned his back on them and that’s the way I will always feel about it.
 
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#169,192
#169,192
W.TN.Orange Blood said:
In all my born days, I've never seen any POTUS do this before the game.
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  • Theodore Roosevelt: The first sitting President to attend (1901, 1905).
  • Harry S. Truman: Attended all but one game from 1945-1952, setting the attendance record.
  • John F. Kennedy: A Navy veteran who attended in 1961 and 1962, continuing the tradition.
  • Gerald Ford: Attended in 1974, a former college football player.
  • Bill Clinton: Attended in 1996, reviving the tradition after a gap.
  • George W. Bush: Attended three times (2001, 2004, 2008).
  • Barack Obama: Attended in 2011.
  • Donald Trump: Attended in 2018, 2019, 2020 as President, and as President-elect in 2016 and 2024, and again in 2025.
 
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#169,194
#169,194
chuckiepoo said:
  • Theodore Roosevelt: The first sitting President to attend (1901, 1905).
  • Harry S. Truman: Attended all but one game from 1945-1952, setting the attendance record.
  • John F. Kennedy: A Navy veteran who attended in 1961 and 1962, continuing the tradition.
  • Gerald Ford: Attended in 1974, a former college football player.
  • Bill Clinton: Attended in 1996, reviving the tradition after a gap.
  • George W. Bush: Attended three times (2001, 2004, 2008).
  • Barack Obama: Attended in 2011.
  • Donald Trump: Attended in 2018, 2019, 2020 as President, and as President-elect in 2016 and 2024, and again in 2025.
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So they went and sat on their ass to watch the game. But actually, not a one, flipped a coin standing out in the middle of the field to see who gets the ball is what I was talking about. I've never seen it in all my born days.
 
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