OK, West Point cadets – let’s admit it – the Annapolis middies have been wiping the gridiron with you in the annual Army-Navy football game every year since 2002. That’s right – the U.S. Naval Academy’s Midshipmen have beaten the U.S. Military Academy’s Black Knights for the past decade. (Navy also has the better record, beating Army 56 times, losing 49 and tying seven times since the classic matchup began in 1890.)
They meet again Saturday, in Philadelphia. This year’s game will serve as the deciding contest for the 2012 Commander In Chief’s Trophy. For the first time since 2005 both teams enter the game with wins over Air Force.
To prepare for the clash, boosters at Annapolis and West Point have created lip-synced versions of the K-pop hit Gangnam Style, a catchy ditty released in July by South Korean musician PSY that has been viewed nearly a billion times on YouTube. Navy’s take has been viewed 7.2 million times, eclipsing the Army’s 1.4 million views.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhHufV9g4k4]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa4RLoG9234]
In October, Battleland asked Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, an Army veteran, if he simply couldn’t issue an order mandating that the Army win. A pained expression crossed his face. “I’ve said,” Panetta threatened, “if you guys don’t win that game this year…”
The nature of the threat went unexplained. Perhaps he’ll force the Army to buy the F-35D.