College Football

Government shutdown could cancel Air Force-Navy, Army-Boston College games

Travel restrictions have jeopardized this weekend's college football games.

By Adam Jacobi Oct 1, 2013, 10:47am EDT

President Obama with the 2012 Air Force Falcons senior class.

Update: According to statements released by the schools, the Department of Defense has suspended intercollegiate athletics and these games have been tentatively canceled. We'll find out by noon ET Thursday if these games will go on.

Update 2: CBS says it's working on alternate programming in the event Air Force-Navy is canceled.

This site is generally not the right site for discussing the government shutdown, just as Politics-Right-Here-USA.com or whatever is probably not the place you should go for breaking college football news. But every so often, our worlds collide, and such is what we've got here, with Saturday's Air Force-Navy and Army-Boston College games suddenly imperiled by the bozos in Washington.

We repeat: Air Force-Navy might get canceled. Because of the government.

Here's more from the Capital Gazette:

Troy Garnhart, associate athletic director for Air Force, said there was a chance the game could not be played.

"It is a possibility," Garnhart said.

Garnhart explained that upper-class cadets at the Air Force Academy are considered military personnel, which means they could be subject to travel restrictions under the shutdown.

Scott Strasemeier, Naval Academy associate athletic director, could not confirm Tuesday morning whether the game will take place.

The Falcons have already canceled Tuesday's regular football press conference because of the shutdown.

As for Army-BC:

We have been in close communication with Army athletics officials regarding the potential impact of the govt shutdown on Saturday's game.
— Brad Bates (@BCBradBates) October 1, 2013

Obviously our intention is to exhaust all possibilities to play & will communicate the information promptly as soon as we have resolution.
— Brad Bates (@BCBradBates) October 1, 2013

Clearly, something must be done, and soon. If the government shutdown takes away our service academy football and our triple options and our 230-pound offensive linemen and our crowds full of dudes in uniform whom you most certainly do not want to mess with, it is officially anti-American.