This afternoon, the Air Force Academy has joined Army and Navy in announcing that all intercollegiate athletics will resume pending a final written decision from the Department of Defense.
The 5 federally-funded (Army, Navy, Air Force, Merchant Marine Academy, Coast Guard) service academies has their activities halted last week as a part of the furlough process from the United States federal government, but shortly thereafter, the total shutdown of athletics began slowly being rolled back. It began with private companies covering the travel costs of football teams, meaning no use of federal funds, and continues as athletics departments learn how to continue competition without the use of “appropriated funds”.
The Academy is awaiting written final Department of Defense guidance, however, we have been advised that all Air Force Academy intercollegiate athletics may resume immediately. We owe it to our cadet athletes and opponents to honor our commitments in this regard. Athletics is one of the pillars of character and leadership development at the Air Force Academy. No appropriated funds will be used to fund these programs.
This means ultimately that only a single meet, the Air Force women’s planned road-trip to New Mexico, will be cancelled by the shut down. The Falcons women welcome Kansas in on Saturday the 12th, and the Air Force men begin their intercollegiate shootout on Friday at the Intermountain Shootout in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Though the athletics departments are partially funded through “appropriated” (federal) funds, they are also partially funded by ticket sales, merchandise sales, private donations, and television agreements.
