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This would be game week.

Does anyone know if the radio broadcasts are archived anywhere? Listening to the tv calls on youtube are my fallback. It’s time to revisit the 2016 season during yard work.
 
we have FBS football back tomorrow:
  • Central Ark @ UAB
  • South Alabama @ So Miss
and a handful more on Saturday, plus a Monday night game that might be the most interesting -- BYU @ Navy (just realized that's Labor Day).

Tangent: looking at the slate of games, it occurs to me that all the people criticizing the decisions of the SEC, ACC and XII are being silent regarding Army and Navy pressing on.
 
Tangent: looking at the slate of games, it occurs to me that all the people criticizing the decisions of the SEC, ACC and XII are being silent regarding Army and Navy pressing on.

Army & Navy basically told people that athletics was an integral part of the training for future commanding officers and would play this season. They didn't have to say anything else further.
 
Army & Navy basically told people that athletics was an integral part of the training for future commanding officers and would play this season. They didn't have to say anything else further.
This - participation in team athletics at the Academies is more integrated into the mission of the school than anywhere else - the $ and exposure is nice, but that's not why they participate. There's a reason Navy fields more NCAA teams than any other university in the country (which is *really* impressive when you consider there's only 4,500 students total).
 
This - participation in team athletics at the Academies is more integrated into the mission of the school than anywhere else - the $ and exposure is nice, but that's not why they participate. There's a reason Navy fields more NCAA teams than any other university in the country (which is *really* impressive when you consider there's only 4,500 students total).
Eh, that's a nice excuse for those programs to keep on keeping on, but it doesn't change anything or make it any different in terms of their ability to contract and spread the virus.
 
Eh, that's a nice excuse for those programs to keep on keeping on, but it doesn't change anything or make it any different in terms of their ability to contract and spread the virus.

It surely doesn't change a thing when it comes to preparing those kids for war right?
 
Eh, that's a nice excuse for those programs to keep on keeping on, but it doesn't change anything or make it any different in terms of their ability to contract and spread the virus.
Eh, it's introducing a new vector (contact with the other team), but let's just say that student life at an academy isn't anything like student life elsewhere.

Basically, it's ok for them to follow different rules, because their normal rules are already so different that pretty much *any* comparison to any other college's campus life, including mission, instruction model, social structures, living situations, etc, etc makes the comparison not so much like trying to compare apples and oranges, but rather like trying to compare apples and harley davidsons.

A more apt comparison is to compare what they are doing to a military training base and/or ship, and in that, they are most likely treating the campus and midshipment/cadets in pretty much the same way they are treating those based and the soldiers/sailors going through them.

We like to think of the Academies as "colleges and universities," but they really are military training bases, and sports are an integral part of their training regiment.
 
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No surprise the two schools subject to orders from the commander in chief are playing.
 
Army & Navy basically told people that athletics was an integral part of the training for future commanding officers and would play this season. They didn't have to say anything else further.

serious question- does everyone play a varsity sport at Army & Navy or how does that “integral part” statement apply to non-student athletes?
 
Eh, it's introducing a new vector (contact with the other team), but let's just say that student life at an academy isn't anything like student life elsewhere.

Basically, it's ok for them to follow different rules, because their normal rules are already so different that pretty much *any* comparison to any other college's campus life, including mission, instruction model, social structures, living situations, etc, etc makes the comparison not so much like trying to compare apples and oranges, but rather like trying to compare apples and harley davidsons.

A more apt comparison is to compare what they are doing to a military base and/or ship, and in that, they are most likely treating the campus and midshipment/cadets in pretty much the same way they are treating a military base and the soldiers/sailors.

We like to think of the Academies as "colleges and universities," but they really are military training bases, and sports are an integral part of their training regiment.
I backed out of my appointment with a congressman to get his recommendation because I figured out it would not be like going to college and wanted nothing to do with it.

As the Naval Academy graduates were fond of saying “It is a great place to be from.”
 
serious question- does everyone play a varsity sport at Army & Navy or how does that “integral part” statement apply to non-student athletes?
Not everyone plays at the varsity level, but everyone plays at some level (and is expected to try and "make the team" at the varsity level). Also see comment about the academies fielding more varsity teams than other universities despite being a fraction of the size - in other words, their actions (and financial commitment) actually match the rhetoric.
 
That's what I thought about your comment too.
Huh?
Eh, it's introducing a new vector (contact with the other team), but let's just say that student life at an academy isn't anything like student life elsewhere.

Basically, it's ok for them to follow different rules, because their normal rules are already so different that pretty much *any* comparison to any other college's campus life, including mission, instruction model, social structures, living situations, etc, etc makes the comparison not so much like trying to compare apples and oranges, but rather like trying to compare apples and harley davidsons.

A more apt comparison is to compare what they are doing to a military training base and/or ship, and in that, they are most likely treating the campus and midshipment/cadets in pretty much the same way they are treating those based and the soldiers/sailors going through them.

We like to think of the Academies as "colleges and universities," but they really are military training bases, and sports are an integral part of their training regiment.
Huh? So because they are more regimented and strict with their rules and regulations on campus, it's OK for them to play?
 
Not everyone plays at the varsity level, but everyone plays at some level (and is expected to try and "make the team" at the varsity level). Also see comment about the academies fielding more varsity teams than other universities despite being a fraction of the size - in other words, their actions (and financial commitment) actually match the rhetoric.

That makes sense, thanks.
 
Huh?

Huh? So because they are more regimented and strict with their rules and regulations on campus, it's OK for them to play?
No - that's a very small part of it. The discipline and rules (and rule following) means that the risks to the community outside of campus are much more minimal than a "normal" college campus. But that's a very minor piece of the puzzle.

What the major difference is, and you refuse to even acknowledge, is that their mission is *completely* different from normal universities. Their mission is not to expand knowledge through research. Their mission is not to educate people. Their sole mission, and the only reason they exist, is to train officers to effectively lead men and women in battle. That's it. The accomplishment of that mission overrides everything else.

Athletic competition is integral to them achieving that mission.

Athletic competition is less integral other universities achieving their missions.

The success of their mission is important enough that they deem it worth taking higher risks (with their students) to achieve.

This isn't that complicated.
 
No - that's a very small part of it. The discipline and rules (and rule following) means that the risks to the community outside of campus are much more minimal than a "normal" college campus. But that's a very minor piece of the puzzle.

What the major difference is, and you refuse to even acknowledge, is that their mission is *completely* different from normal universities. Their mission is not to expand knowledge through research. Their mission is not to educate people. Their sole mission, and the only reason they exist, is to train officers to lead men and women in battle. That's it. The effective accomplishment of that mission overrides everything else.

Athletic competition is integral to them achieving that mission.

Athletic competition is less integral other universities achieving their missions.

The success of their mission is important enough that they deem it worth taking higher risks (with their students) to achieve.

This isn't that complicated.
They also have an equal chance of contracting the virus by playing other teams who don't follow the same rules and then spreading it back on their "campus". Is the goal here to limit the contraction and spread or no? Sorry, but "athletic competition is an integral part of their mission" does not take priority over containing the virus.... Or maybe it does, but let's call a spade a spade if so.
 
They also have an equal chance of contracting the virus by playing other teams who don't follow the same rules and then spreading it back on their "campus". Is the goal here to limit the contraction and spread or no? Sorry, but "athletic competition is an integral part of their mission" does not take priority over containing the virus.... Or maybe it does, but let's call a spade a spade if so.
Note: I'm not saying that this is my belief.

But, to understand the argument, you need to change one part of your rhetorical statement:

From:
Sorry, but "athletic competition is an integral part of their mission" does not take priority over containing the virus....

To:
Sorry, but "training people to effectively lead men and women in battle" does not take priority over containing the virus....

Or maybe it does. That's what "integral" means: that you can't effectively do what you're doing without it. It's "integral."

The service academies, and the admirals and generals who are in charge of them, firmly believe that training effective officers requires that those trainees participate in athletic competition. They believe that the lessons learned in athletic competition translate to the battlefield, and that those lessons cannot be as effectively learned in other ways.

So yes, at the end of the day, they believe it's "worth the risk."

My point is twofold: 1. They may actually be right, they do have 150+ years of experience on their side, and 2. Their reasons for continuing are not actually applicable to other schools.

#2 means that it is entirely logical and consistent to say that it is ok for the service academies to continue, but that it's not ok for other schools to make the same decision. I don't know if I buy that, but I see the logic behind it.
 
To add to the discussion, academy students are not student-athletes, they are cadets training for commissions in the military. They are paid while they are there. Part of their leadership training, teamwork training, and physical training includes participation in athletics from the intramural to D1 varsity level. No other university is required to participate with them. Theoretically USAFA could join USMA and USNA and just play amongst themselves if they so chose.
 
To add to the discussion, academy students are not student-athletes, they are cadets training for commissions in the military. They are paid while they are there. Part of their leadership training, teamwork training, and physical training includes participation in athletics from the intramural to D1 varsity level. No other university is required to participate with them. Theoretically USAFA could join USMA and USNA and just play amongst themselves if they so chose.
The air force already play with themselves.
 
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