with all the other travel cost plebe year, (r-day, a-day, PPW), I thought we might save the army-navy game till the following year. Is there a reason to go plebe year as opposed to going the other years? It looks like a blast. I'm just wondering if I should spread out some of the "fun".
Our DS will be attending USMA. I read somewhere about parents purchasing tickets to the game at R Day. I see the game is in Baltimore and we live in So Cal.. Do Plebes travel to the game? Would it be worthwhile to go to see my DS?
There is also a march-on...very impressive to watch (especially when you compare the marching / lines of cadets to midshipmen).
MetLife is even worse than Baltimore. It's nowhere near the city, so there's no "let's walk to the game and eat enroute" atmosphere. They did it there in 2002 and it was the worst A/N I've ever been to (out of about 15 of them now).I liked Baltimore because of the Inner Harbor, Little Italy and so many restaurants & bars being within walking distance. Fort McHenry was worth the visit, IMHO. The mix of fans around town and at the game felt 50/50 even though you could say it is a de facto home game for Navy. It's still a national game.
I can't figure out why the game isn't played at MetLife if they are going to play in Baltimore so much.
USMA always falls for the Baltimore bid, like suckers. They did it in 2001, and have done it numerous times since. I don't think the cities underwrite any transport costs. The vast majority of the corps travels privately to the game. It was played at the Rose bowl in 1983.The location of the A-N game is determinedly by contract jointly with USNA and USMA sports organizations. Cities bid for the hosting opportunity, roughly like the Olympics. Philly considers itself the "Home of the Game." PHL Sports, formerly the Philadelphia Sports Congress, puts together the consortium that raises the money for the bid. Cities know this game brings in big revenues to retail establishments, but they have to pony up lots of cash to the respective Army and Navy sports organizations, for whom the A-N game is the biggest money-maker of the year. It's a multi-year contract, with the winning bidder getting X number of games, and other cities (Baltimore, DC, Meadowlands back a few years) getting a game or two in the cycle.
I have always heard this, but don't know if actually true, that the bidding cities must underwrite transportation for the Corps and Brigade if not reasonably drivable by bus. So, even if San Francisco put together a great bid, the transport for 8000+ mids and cadets would be prohibitive. Philly always seems like the best halfway place.
That's my favorite documentary!! It aired December in 2011. I remember watching it that day! I was in eight grade at the time! Highly recommend it to anyone!I ran across an excellent Documentary that Chronicles the iconic rivalry between Army and Navy, "A Game of Honor". It follows the 2011 teams through the season, interviewing various players, their ups, their downs, their dreams and especially the importance they place on this one game every year. It is historically important to our Country as well, being the only scheduled Collegiate Football game televised that Saturday. Gary Sinise does a great job Narrating the program. I found and purchased it on Amazon. I'm retired Navy, but until watching this, had no Idea just what a big deal the Army Navy game was. I would like to say "Go Navy, Beat Army", but DD is at USAFA. Conflicted!