Navy Needs Big Veteran's Day Game

What started off as a trickle of an exhibition concept has become a surging storm. Last year’s Carrier Classic basketball season opener between North Carolina and Michigan State aboard the USS Carl Vinson off the coast San Diego has caught the attention of the nation and is being copied. Heck, if the concept is grand enough to get a president to attend then it has to be doing something right.

Already this year three Big East teams (Marquette, Georgetown, and Syracuse) are lined up to play on the decks of various carriers on opening day on November 9th. In addition, a group of four military schools including Army, Air Force, The Citadel, and VMI are set to play on the USS Yorktown as part of the 2012 All Military Classic.

The most recent groundbreaking announcement is that Michigan State (again) and UConn are going to be taking the game to where it has never been before, to an active U.S. Air Force and NATO base in Ramstien, Germany. This move represents the first time a college basketball game has taken place in Germany, and is a great foothold in a new market for both the NCAA and the schools themselves.

All this begs one question, however, why is Navy not getting involved in this?

Sure the school doesn’t have the drawing power of the Big East or ACC schools, but if VMI and The Citadel can get involved in historic contests like this then surely the Academy can too. After all, what would be cooler than watching Navy basketball, on a Navy ship, on the most important of all military holidays?

The Naval Academy athletic department should be working every hour of the day to try to arrange a date like this in 2012. The administration has proven they are not afraid to buck convention and play games in new and unique places. Take for example the football game in Dublin against Notre Dame this year. From and admin standpoint pulling off a basketball game on an Naval facility would surely be easier than the logistics of flying an entire football team and staff to the Emerald Isle.

Maybe an announcement will be made soon and Navy will have a game and a place will fit the occasion. If nothing happens, however, Navy fans will have every right to feel like they are being passed over for contests they have every right to be a part of.