Is Army-Navy the Best Rivalry in Sports?

To some of you, this probably sounds like the stupidest question ever, and not necessarily for the same reasons. For individuals like me who grew up around the game the answer is rather simple; Yes, it is by far the greatest rivalry in college football, and perhaps even in all of American sports. The tradition, history, pageantry, and even symbolism of the game are unrivaled in college or pro sports, at least according to me. That being said, I wasn't born and raised in Michigan blue or Ohio State red, so I can't speak for some of the other well known and self proclaimed "greatest college football rivalries."

Fortunately, Nick can. At least I think he can, according to a very insightful if not somewhat perturbed comment he made on a post I made last week. You see, Nick is a die-hard Ohio State fan, so naturally he believes that the Ohio-State Michigan rivalry takes the cake as the best rivalry in college sports. Here's what he had to say when I asserted that the Army-Navy game was the greatest rivalry in all of sports:

You are absolutely ridiculous, the Ohio State Michigan rivalry is the absolute best rivalry in all American Sports. You don't hear about the Army-Navy Rivalry for three weeks straight on every news station on television. Everytime I turned on Tv I would hear OSU Michigan...but yet I heard no Army-Navy, this is actually the first article I've read all year about Army Navy, and its "Only Eight Days Until the 107th Army-Navy Game." Ooops.

Nick makes a good point, but I do think we have to take it with some scrutiny, especially regarding what we would call the "hype" surrounding the game. First off, I don't know if I'm "ridiculous" for calling the Army-Navy game "the finest rivalry in all of sports." The game is almost always looked at as one of the best rivalry games in sports, and it would stand to reason that as a biased source I would go ahead a make the distinction of the best rivalry, just as an Ohio State or Michigan fan would make the distinction for the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. Furthermore, I think it would be crazy if we didn't view this year's Ohio State-Michigan as a little more "hyped" then usual. I'm not discounting the frenzied circus of media coverage for the rivalry in the past, but c'mon, with the #1 vs. #2 thing going on and the death of Schembechler the hype for this game was going to be bigger then ever. I know the Army-Navy game may not be as relevant to the National Title race of today as Ohio State-Michigan, but there was a time when Army-Navy was a showdown between two of the top football schools in the country. And as a matter of fact, that time lasted for many decades.

You may not see it broadcast on ESPN (which coincidentally doesn't own the rights to anything related to Navy football) or read articled about it in the USA Today two weeks in advance, but for many people within and outside of the military community, the Army-Navy game is the game. And if we're going to compare rivalries within the framework of the usual criteria, I think we need to examine the entire history of the games in question, as opposed to talking only about the recent history in the backdrop of the ESPN media machine.

I'm a biased source, I know, and when you really think about it no one person or group can decide something as arbitrary as the "greatest rivalry" in either college football or all of sport. But that can't stop us from trying. I want to know what you, the reader, think about this question. Is it fair to say the Army-Navy game is the premier rivalry in college football, or am I completely off base here and making a "ridiculous" assertion? Bring on the comments, this should be good.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-28-2006 @ 9:03PM

luke said...

maybe 20-30 years ago, but not now.

11-28-2006 @ 9:04PM

Matt said...

First off, thanks Adam for putting together such a great blog on Navy football. I've been reading since its inception...you do a terrific job, esp considering you're not even a grad.

Of course A-N is the best college football rivalry, but I'm saying that as a Navy grad. The problem is that if you ask the casual (or even the more die-hard) college football fans what they know about service academy football (I'll use Navy football here), chances are you'd get one of two responses: either "Navy has a football team?" or "Navy?....they suck!" This is partly the product of the hype machine that is ESPN and their love for all things USC/ND/OSU/insert football factory here, partly the fact that the A-N game just hasn't been competitive over the past 5 years, and finally (and again pointing back to non-coverage by ESPN) the fact that I bet no one outside of the A-N-AF community knows that Navy has rung up a 34-14 record over the past four years and gone to four consecutive bowls w/four different quarterbacks.

Add all that up, and you're going to get comments like Nick's which are perfectly legit. What does he know or care about the history of the A-N game and why should he? My point is that this debate will rage for ages with no clear cut winner except in the mind of us passionate fans....A-N is the best rivalry, and no panel of so called ESPN experts can convince me otherwise.

Beat Army!!

11-28-2006 @ 9:59PM

nic f said...

navy is really good :)

11-28-2006 @ 9:46PM

navy is totally sweet :)

11-29-2006 @ 8:38AM

george said...

lets face it, there isn't any other rivalry in any sport that goes back as far as the Army & Navy game. There isn't any school that has as large a alumi as these two schools. (every sailor or every soldier that has ever served)It's pretty simple.. the other schools only get thier games hyped when they are having a good season and then the game may be nationally televised. Every year the Army Navy game is not only nationally televised, but televised to Army Bases, Naval Bases and Naval Ships around the world. In small towns, large cities across the USA you'll hear GO NAVY... BEAT ARMY or GO ARMY...BEAT NAVY, of course I prefer
GO NAVY! ..BEAT ARMY!

Dan said...

For me it falls under you have to be there. When I'm at a big time pro or college game there's alot of passion for your team. With A-N its as much an emotional experience as any. These guys aren't there for dreams of pro millions. They could be in Iraq in a year. The pride, respect, and intensity make the event pretty special. There's more to this one than a guy running a 4.3 40.

11-29-2006 @ 9:33PM

Adam Nettina said...

Thanks for the comment Matt, I appreciate the support. George makes a fine point in the debate about how this game transcends college football and means so much more. I still think though, even from a "just-football" perspective, that the history of this game and that of all the great players involved is enough to be considered in the running.

12-01-2006 @ 5:01PM

christy said...

Go Army - Beat Navy! No other rivalry has the president of the United States in the stands EVERY year. Drunk college students can't match what soldiers in training can do to each other.

And to me what really makes this THE greatest rivalry is the fact that no other college rivalry has this sort of TRUE sportsmanship. These guys know that some day they could be fighting in war together. They don't hate each other. It's the truest form of rivalry.

12-02-2006 @ 7:55AM

I agree with Christy that the teams have true sportsmanSHIP.... however it's

GO NAVY.....
BEAT ARMY

12-02-2006 @ 9:39PM

Anthony said...

Without a doubt, Army/Navy is the greatest rivalry in college football, if not in all of sports history. I say this not only as a USNA grad, but as a sports fan in general. I am amazed every year to watch two teams who recruit from a considerably smaller talent pool than other universities, manage to compete in division I football with the likes of Notre Dame. Imagine Ohio State or Michigan's ability to compete if they could only recruit players with 1200+ SAT scores, who had no chance of an NFL career until completing an initial 5 years in the corporate world before entering the draft. Service Academy football players participate in football after their academic and military responsibilities. They carry full course loads and graduate with degrees in engineering, science and math. I have the highest respect for these players and once the A/N game is over, these two rivals know that their lives may depend on each other. It is not unheard of to think that the linebacker for Navy who chose to be a Navy SEAL may someday be riding with the Army running back who is flying Blackhawks. Nowhere else will you find such a deep respect among colleges and among football teams. This game is the greatest rivalry because the players represent the best of America and they play the game because they love it and not because of future wealth or glory. Finally, the A/N game demonstrates on a national stage that people on a football field can still have respect for one another and if CBS is kind enough to show you the postgame activities on the field, you will see each team standing at attention while the other team sings its alma mater. The only other team in football who shows that type of respect to an adversary is Notre Dame. A/N represents the best qualities of football, respect, teamwork and giving your all. For these reasons, I will never be as excited about OSU/Michigan or Clemson/Carolina or any other rivalry as I am each year about Army/Navy.

12-03-2006 @ 9:39AM

Dr. Op Walker said...

The Army Navy football games without question are the greatest of all football Rivalries in Sports! And, I believe, exceeds the rivalries in daily intensity of any sport on the planet...including socer.

This is true due to the length of time the rivalry has been a reality and the fact that the game is mentioned somewhere EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR! Even long before next years game, the chant is either "Army Beat Navy" or "Navy Beat Army"! Attention has already turned to 'next years matchup', and will continue until the very kickoff of the 2007 match. And so this will continue as long as there is an Army and a Navy!

12-11-2006 @ 5:43PM

william t jones said...

no doubt about it.
greatest rivalry in all of sports.
it is only game, in any sport,that i can get excited about w/o a wager involved
GO NAVY
MY SON IS CLASS OF 86