Army-Navy

The Army-Navy game is this Saturday, 9 a.m., a major ritual in my life. I root for Navy, the triumph of being a Navy brat over actual service in the Army. I make black-eyed peas. I've never seen one live but, despite the long odds, would love to.

What's so special about this game? Some highlights from Wikipedia:

Despite the fact that Army and Navy are no longer nationally competitive on a regular basis, the tradition of the game has ensured that it remains nationally televised to this day. Arguably, one of the great appeals of this game to many fans is that since few, if any, of the participants will ever play in the NFL, they're playing solely for the love of the game.

The game is especially emotional for the seniors, called "first classmen" by both academies, since it is typically the last competitive football game they will ever play. (The 1996 game was an aberration, as both Army and Navy went to bowl games afterwards, and Navy has played in a bowl game in each season since 2003.) During wartime the game is even more emotional because some seniors will not return once they are deployed. For instance, in the 2004 game, at least one senior from the class of 2003 who was killed in Iraq, Navy's J.P. Blecksmith, was remembered. The players placed their comrade's pads and jerseys on chairs on the sidelines. Much of the sentiment of the game goes out to those who share the uniform and who are overseas.

At the end of the game the alma maters of the losing team and then the winning team are played and sung. The winning team stands alongside the losing team and faces the losing academy students; then the losing team accompanies the winning team, facing their students. This is done in a show of mutual respect and solidarity.

With so much hype and arrogance in sports today, Army-Navy is a refreshing return to the sports climate I remember from my youth.

Army-Navy Football Website.

Army-Navy Scores, 1890-2006. Navy 51 wins, Army 49 wins, 7 ties.

Army-Navy and black-eyed peas!