November 22, 2007

For The Love of Sport: What I’m Thankful for : The Army Navy game on Saturday December 1st in Baltimore is one of the all-time greatest rivalries in sport but it is so much more than that. Given that today is Thanksgiving and I am a firm believer in taking pause to reflect on all of that for which you are thankful, my column choice was easy.

When I wrote my first column back in September my stated purpose was to try to find and discuss that compelling match-up, under-reported event, human interest story, or just the game that I plan on watching. A lot of times I have found that the most interesting game is in fact “the big game” but that is not always the case. With NCAA football reaching a fever pitch, the NFL working into the second half of the season, and the NHL, NBA, and NCAA basketball all underway there are no shortage of games from which to choose for this week’s article. Given that today is Thanksgiving and I am a firm believer in taking pause to reflect on all of that for which you are thankful, my choice was easy. The Army Navy game on Saturday December 1st in Baltimore is one of the all-time greatest rivalries in sport but it is so much more than that. First to clarify, on a basic sports level this game is virtually meaningless. Navy at 7-4 will undoubtedly be going to a bowl regardless of the outcome of this game and Army (3-8) would probably need a 20 game schedule in order to have enough wins to be bowl eligible. This game is important because of the great rivalry. This is the only game on the schedule that matters to these two teams and the millions of fans, alumni, soldiers and sailors who will root for their team. On a deeper level it is difficult to explain the significance of this game. Less than a month after Veteran’s Day and not long after Thanksgiving we are given the opportunity to think about all of the soldiers and sailors who do the things that we either can’t do or choose not to do. They spend day after day living the war metaphors that we so casually assign to the game of football. Their battles really are won in the trenches, they fight to gain every inch of turf, and yes sometimes they are called on to take one for the team paying the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I can enjoy the freedom to eat turkey and talk about football. Their courage allows us to be free. “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” – Ambrose Redmoon The point of this is not to bring you down and have you feel sorry for our soldiers and sailors. As an eight-year Army veteran I can tell you, all that I ever wanted from civilians is that you enjoy and appreciate the freedoms that you have. Go to school, vote, protest do whatever you want, just appreciate the rights and freedoms that you have. Every once in a while pause and remember who helped to give you those rights. Thank your grandfather who served in the Pacific or your uncle who served in Vietnam and maybe the kid in uniform at the airport. They will appreciate it and they will be happy to know that you appreciate it. Appreciate that you have the simple pleasure of sitting down to watch a more-or-less meaningless football game in the comfort of your own home. In the Mitchell family one of my grandfathers, my dad and my brother (currently) served in the Navy; while my other grandfather, an uncle, my wife and I all served in the Army. Our loyalties are divided and you better believe that even though not everyone in my family is a sports fan you’ll hear about it if your service loses the game. The game itself doesn’t really show how soldiers live or what they believe. Basically it’s a game played by young student-athletes who have really just begun their military service. The story to me is really in the people watching the game. People have answered the Nation’s call since a little group of colonies said, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Beautiful words but just words on the page if not for the people who would leave the comfort of their home and fight and die from Valley Forge to Fallujah. "I think you could play this in a parking lot. It doesn't matter," Army coach Stan Brock said. "People make a big deal about home field, and this is a lot closer to them than it is to us, but once you put your hand in the dirt and the game starts, it doesn't matter where you are." - David Ginsburg AP Sports Writer I don’t think that anyone could say it any better than that. A Happy Thanksgiving to all and best wishes to all of our service men and women serving around the globe. I am thankful for your service and I pray for your speedy and safe return. I can be reached via email at kyrilmitch_76@yahoo.com. Quote from David Ginsburg’s article taken from Yahoo.com and a minor housekeeping note this article will now come out on Thursdays in the Column section of Sportsfilter and on my website. Go Army!

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