Service Academies Can Play Football, and That's a Smart Move by Dept. of Defense

Fans of service academy football teams can breathe a collective sigh of relief after news broke that the recent government shutdown won’t take away two much-anticipated Saturday showdowns this week.

According to the Associated Press, via NCAA.com., the decision was reported on Wednesday that the games will go on…at least for this weekend:

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U.S. military academy football teams will play this weekend, despite the government shutdown.

A senior defense official said Wednesday the decision affects this weekend’s games only, and future games will be evaluated as events unfold.

The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity…

The teams will be allowed to play because the games are paid for with non-appropriated funds, and have been long planned. Non-appropriated funds generally come from outside sources and are not approved through Congress.

A phone message left with Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk was not immediately returned, along with email messages left with spokesmen for Army and Air Force.

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The two games in question were Air Force at Navy at 11:30 a.m. ET, and Army at Boston College at 1 p.m. ET. Earlier in the week, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren noted that actions were being taken to see if the funds used were congressionally appropriated.

Thankfully, the Department of Defense made the right decision to let all three academies play.

For starters, the cancellation of the games would have meant financial consequences for all of the schools, especially Navy and Air Force in their annual showdown.

Navy brings in about $4 million in revenue from game tickets, commercial sponsorships and television and radio fees, just to name a few. The football revenue funds the school’s 32 other athletic teams.

Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said the loss of Saturday's game would be “devastating" to his budget.

Secondly, it would be a slap in the face to fans.

The rivalry between Navy and Air Force dates back to 1960 and the two sides have played every year since 1972. The Falcons hold a 27-18 lead in the series, but the Midshipmen have won eight of the last 10.

Not surprisingly, the game is already sold out.

While the future of this issue is still up in the air, we can at least sit back this weekend, turn on the games and pretend that everything is all right.

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