Navy Football: 5 reasons Midshipman will be better than Army in 2018

5. Service

The utmost respect is deserved to all individuals who are associated with both service academies. The willingness to serve their country and the selflessness of every single player on the field earns them points in toughness, grit, and humility.

In the summer leading up to the season, both Navy Midshipmen and Army Cadets are required to complete military training that is not related to football. Additionally, both teams’ players take summer school classes in order to decrease their overwhelming academic workload.

During the season, players still have an extremely rigorous academic schedule, military obligations, and a football season to play. By the time the Army-Navy game comes around at the end of the fall semester, average Midshipmen and Cadets are exhausted, let alone the football players after four months of football. What the service academy players do is truly remarkable.

Where They Differ

Here is where the cultural differences come in to play. A few years back, Army changed their schedule so that they will have an extra week to prepare for Navy, and scheduled their two easiest games for the two weeks prior. Army had the flexibility to do this because they remain independent of a conference. While Navy, three years ago, did the exact opposite. Navy joined the American Athletic Conference, adding restrictions to their schedule, and the possibility of a conference championship game the weekend prior to America’s game.

At that same time when Army changed their schedule, they also pushed back their academic final exams to after the game so that their players could focus on the task at hand. They changed the schedule for all 4,000 cadets so that the 100 players would not have to study for a few tests. The Naval Academy has kept their finals in the same place, which places the Army-Navy game in the middle of exams.

Lastly, the Midshipman lifted weights and conditioned inside Halsey Field House, on the Naval Academy campus, all summer long while their normal weight room was being renovated. If anyone has ever stepped inside that building during the summer, they will tell you how hot and humid it is inside. Instead of finding a weight room with air conditioning, or running in the breeze beside the Chesapeake Bay, the team trained in these conditions, bringing an even greater level of toughness to the team.

The Navy players, coaches, and administration tackle problems head on, as opposed to taking the easy way out. This is the culture that defines Navy and is yet another reason why the Midshipmen will be better than Army in 2018.