Steve Cohen: Army should play Harvard and Brown as well as Navy

Today, the Army and Navy will play “America’s game,” a game played since 1890, and, since 1898, never cancelled.

Seven million people will watch it, but that is a fraction of the number of Americans who should watch it. Not for the quality of play on the field — which is pretty good — but for the quality of character off it.

The gap between the military and the rest

Fewer and fewer people are familiar with West Point, Annapolis, or the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. That is not surprising: the number of living Americans who have served in the military is about 7.8 million, about 6% of the U.S. population, down from 18% in 1980.

Interestingly, as colleges, the Military, Naval, and Air Force Academies are more popular than ever. They attract a large number of applicants each year