We saw two weeks ago in Washington how special the Army-Navy rivalry really is.
We have heard the year-round cheers of “Beat Navy” at the US Military Academy and “Beat Army” at the US Naval Academy. There are the pregame traditions, the bonfires, pep rallies, spirit videos and the goat and mule capers. On game day we see the the Corps of Cadets and the Brigade of Midshipmen proudly “March On” to the playing field. We see and hear the bands blasting at each other, parachute jumps, fly overs, color guards and attendance by the the most senior military leaders.
This year we even had the President of the United States attend the game, flip the pregame coin, and cross midfield at halftime to spend half the game with each group of students and officials of the two Academies.
The game itself witnesses extreme competitiveness with three or four tacklers making every play, and the outcome remembered a lifetime by the seniors.
But few outside of alumni, parents and military veterans have a true idea of what the demands of life at the service academies is really like.
Now we have a full length film to enjoy about the most special rivalry in sports.
Showtime has been working all year on a special full-length film based on recording events and conducting interviews at West Point and Annapolis. The show debuted December 21st on Showtime with subsequent rebroadcasts. Video preview segments of the show are available here.