Social media will save the day for Air Force football fans next month, with the Falcons’ first two games available via Facebook instead of a channel in the triple digits of your local cable service. Air Force’s Sept. 1 season opener against Stony Brook will stream live on Facebook via Stadium, the sports network announced Monday. The Falcons travel to Florida Atlantic the following week for another nonconference showdown, this one airing on Facebook via CBS Sports Network. Both games kick off at 2 p.m. Eastern. The rest of Air Force’s schedule should be a bit more TV-friendly. The team’s…
The defensive back at the center of one of the most unexpected finishes in college football history reportedly will trade his final year of eligibility at Michigan State to don Air Force blue. Jalen Watts-Jackson and the rest of the Spartans appeared doomed to defeat on Oct. 17, 2015, down 23-21 with 10 seconds to play at rival Michigan. Facing a fourth down, all the Wolverines had to do was fire off a long punt, maybe survive a desperation Hail Mary, and claim a rivalry victory. And then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBlgN85wB6U Watts-Jackson’s game-winning fumble recovery and return kept the Spartans unbeaten and…
When Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen took charge at West Point, he declared war on mediocrity. “I need to work all across West Point to build this winning culture,” he told Military Times in 2014, about a year into his tenure as superintendent (which ends Friday). “Mediocrity … it kind of bothers me. These kids, when they graduate, are going to lay it on the line. If they’re surrounded by mediocrity, we’re not providing them with what they need. “Whether it’s mediocre tactical officers, mediocre instructors, mediocre coaches — you know, wherever that mediocrity is, that’s something we’ve got to address.…
Navy Reserve Lt. j.g. Joe Cardona will be staying put at his day job. The 2015 Naval Academy graduate has signed a four-year contract to remain the New England Patriots long snapper, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss and other reports. Drafted in the fifth round by the Pats in 2015, Cardona’s been the team’s long snapper ever since, making two Super Bowl appearances. He spoke to Military Times about his first title, where he ended up a spectator for one of the greatest sports comebacks ever: After snapping for Steven Gostkowski’s successful 33-yard field goal with less than 10 minutes left…
Team USA might be on the sidelines, but there’s no shortage of soccer fans in uniform who’ll be dealing with a case of World Cup Fever over the next few weeks. For those who find themselves overseas during the 2018 tournament, there’s some good news: American Forces Network will show World Cup action, either live or on tape delay, to troops across the globe. That wasn’t always a sure thing: AFN Broadcast Center director Catina Barnes said last week that securing broadcast rights required two years of negotiations and sign-off from more than 30 broadcast entities, including American provider Fox Sports.…
Oklahoma and Army West Point will battle on the gridiron for the first time since 1961 later this year, but fans who want to witness history on their televisions might need to find their wallets first. NewsOK.com reported Monday that despite the history brought to bear by both football programs into the Nov. 22 contest, the Sooners and Black Knights likely will end up as a pay-per-view game. It’s a rarity for most of college football, but OU has played on PPV once annually for the past few years; last year’s game against Tulane reportedly cost $55 to order. Oklahoman…
CBS will not be messing with a good thing. The network, which has seen ratings skyrocket for its award-winning airings of Army-Navy football, will keep the game’s kickoff at 3 p.m. Eastern this year, per a news release announcing part of the CBS college football schedule. The Black Knights and Midshipmen will square off Dec. 8 in Philadelphia. It will be the second time Navy appears on CBS in 2018, as the Mids will face Navy in San Diego at 8 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 27 in the second half of a CBS college football doubleheader. Florida faces Georgia that…
The Commander in Chief’s Trophy hasn’t settled into its new home and the folks in Annapolis haven’t finished rolling up the presidential welcome mat, but that won’t stop oddsmakers from having their say on the 2018 Army-Navy rivalry game. The South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas released early lines for some of college football’s biggest games May 24, including the Dec. 8 service academy showdown. It’s the last game on the list — 15 weeks into the college football season, which won’t start for another three months — and the Mids are booked as one-point favorites. This goes…
Marine Corps veteran Brian Stann added another line to his impressive resume this month, as the Silver Star recipient, mixed martial arts champion, UFC and college football commentator, Hiring Heroes CEO and real-estate executive rejoined the cage-fighting club via the front office of the Professional Fighters League. Stann will serve as head of the fighters and competition/rules committee for the PFL, playing a key role in the organization’s plans to become a “fighters first” league, according to a news release. A PFL primer for non-MMA addicts: The group will kick off what amounts to a series of yearlong tournaments next month,…
First-year expansion franchises rarely make headlines for anything outside of record-setting futility. The Las Vegas Golden Knights are the exception to beat all exceptions, but while the team has been the story of the NHL season, it’s been on the radar of Army officials for a bit longer. In late 2016, reports surfaced that team owner Bill Foley, a 1967 U.S. Military Academy graduate, had his heart set on “Black Knights” as the team nickname, echoing both his alma mater and a number of his other business interests. Foley told Army Times that the academy pushed back on the plan,…
