The Army - Navy game on Saturday marks the 120th anniversary of the football rivalry . Nicolaus Mills : Both men made sure the rivalry was consistent with military values . The rivalry has become sacred for Americans and an antidote to dark times , Mills writes . Five years before the advent of the modern Olympics , the two service academies had turned their new athletic rivalry into front-page news . Mills : Army - Navy players do n't go directly to NFL or a lucrative career , but to active duty .
The Army - Navy game on Saturday marks the 120th anniversary of the football rivalry . Nicolaus Mills : Both men made sure the rivalry was consistent with military values . The rivalry has become sacred for Americans and an antidote to dark times , Mills writes . Mills : Army - Navy players do n't go directly to NFL or a lucrative career , but to active duty .