Shutdown grounds Air Force sports and upends NFL viewing; Navy to continue

Shutdown grounds Air Force sports and upends NFL viewing; Navy to continue

Air Force guard Pervis Louder looks for an open teammate as UNLV guard Amauri Hardy (3) defends during a game at Air Force Academy, Colo., Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. (Dougal Brownlie / AP)
Bryan Flaherty and Ava WallaceWashington Post

The shutdown of the federal government that began at midnight eastern time already has an early casualty: the Air Force Academy's athletic schedule.

"Due to the government shutdown, all Air Force Academy home and away intercollegiate athletic events have been canceled until further notice," the school said in a statement Saturday morning. "In the event a solution is reached, the Academy will work to reschedule as many missed events as possible."

Federal agencies began shutting down overnight for the first time since October 2013. Congress reconvened Saturday morning in hopes of reaching a deal to reopen the federal government.

Air Force was scheduled to compete in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's swimming, men's ice hockey and men's gymnastics.

Naval Academy teams will continue to compete as scheduled, as most athletic department employees are civilians, according to Navy spokesman Scott Strasemeier. Army has not commented on its plans at time of publishing, but did compete in men's basketball at 1 p.m. Saturday.

All three athletic departments operate as separate, private entities from the government-run academies. The Naval Academy Athletic Association was founded in 1891 as a nonprofit organization to "promote, influence, and assist in financing the athletic contests of the midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy." The Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation began operation in 2013 and the Army West Point Athletic Association began in 2017.

The American Forces Network, which broadcasts American radio and television programming in Europe and other locations outside the U.S., put a message on its Facebook page that said its services would not be available "due to the government shutdown."

The notice sparked angry reactions from viewers, with several noting the timing couldn't have been worse. The two NFL conference championships are Sunday — Minnesota vs. Philadelphia and Jacksonville vs. New England.

"During NFL PLAYOFFS?!" one post read. "AFN, start a GoFundMe & broadcast these games! Make it happen!"

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-air-force-navy-sports-government-shutdown-20180120-story.html