Steve Israel: Lessons in teamwork and decorum from Army players and their fans
Here’s something that just about all of us – Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives, folks of any race, religion or color – should agree on: You’ve got to love the spirit of the Army football team. That’s true even if you’re not a football fan or you’re a Navy diehard and you just have to root for the Midshipmen in America’s biggest college football game, the Dec. 11 Army-Navy game.
In a “me, me, me” world of instant gratification, the Black Knights exemplify something that’s all too rare during these days of petulant athletes, self-absorbed entertainers and huckster influencers: teamwork. The Army football team – a diverse bunch of Americans from Alabama to Hawaii led by coach Jeff Monken – does something our politicians are rarely able to do: come together for a common goal.
I’ve watched every televised game, from the blowout of Georgia State to the nail-biting overtime thriller win over Air Force.
You know what?
So many cadets contribute to Army’s ball-control, run-first offense that’s dependent on precision teamwork and not flashy star power, I had to look up the names of some key Army players to be sure they were who I thought they were. That is because I know them more for their accomplishments than their hype.
There’s quarterback Christian Anderson, who’s completed as many passes, 21, this season as some college quarterbacks complete in one game, but is tied for the team lead in touchdowns when you combine his passing and rushing. His co-TD leader is the running back who at Army has never – that’s never – lost a yard on a run, the steamrolling fullback Jakobi Buchanan.
But of course, Army football isn’t just about what happens on the 100-yard field – a field that, for home games, sits in one of the nation’s most picturesque settings, West Point’s Michie Stadium, overlooking the Hudson River.
It’s also about the teamwork on the sidelines and in the stands from the cadets and cheerleaders, who, like the football players, are the future military leaders who’ve made a commitment to defend us.
Other big-time colleges may have drunken fans who paint their bare chests. Army has cadets in uniform who prove they’re ready for on-field combat if called on by doing push-ups after scores.
Other big-time colleges may have cheerleaders who tumble, jump and toss one another sky-high. Army has cheerleaders – called the Rabble Rousers – who can do all that and show they’re more than ready to run, pass and block if called on by doing pushups after scores.
Why, pretty soon, the Army mule, Paladin, will be doing those pushups and singing the post-game Army alma mater, which all football players, coaches and cadets do after every game.
Of course, Army wants to sing their alma mater second after Saturday’s Army-Navy game played right here at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, just like they’ve done four of the last five years. Singing second means you’ve won.
But even if, football gods forbid, Army comes up short in the score on Saturday, Army and its spirit of selfless teamwork will still be a winner.
But the team that exemplifies teamwork will be an even bigger winner if the Black Knights do what I predict they’ll again do:
Go Army. Beat Navy.
steveisrael53@outlook.com
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Army football: more than a sport, it's teamwork at its finest
