The Forgotten Game

Just a couple weeks after Thanksgiving, about seven million people will watch what is known as “America’s game” – the Army-Navy football contest. It has been played since 1890, and, since 1898, has never been cancelled.

Seven million people is a lot of viewers, but it is a fraction of the number of Americans who should watch it. Not for the quality of play on the field – which is pretty good – but for the quality of character off it.

Fewer and fewer people are familiar with West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. That is not surprising: the number of living Americans who have served in the military is about 7.8 million, about 6% of the U.S. population, down from 18% in 1980.  

Interestingly, as colleges, the Military, Naval, and Air Force Academies are more popular than ever. They attract a large number of applicants each year – between 13,000 and 15,000 each for about 1,300 spots at each school. Yet, many high school seniors considering an academy apply to more than one. So, while 1.7 million students will graduate from high school this year, and about 250,000 will apply to the 300 more selective colleges, only about 10% of them will consider an academy. In contrast, Brown will probably receive more than 50,000 applicants, Notre Dame about 28,000, and Berkeley more than 125,000.