High Noon: Akey Visits Afghanistan

Robb Akey, University of Idaho head coach, shakes hands with U.S. Army Sgt. Nathanael Buschmann, from Oregon, Wis., at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, July 5. “I’m a big college football fan,” said Buschmann. “During the season, I try to watch every game — even the ones that come on at 2 a.m.” Akey traveled overseas to show support for military installations in the Middle East with four other National Collegiate Athletic Association head football coaches: Bobby Hauck, University of Montana; Chris Smeland, West Point, The U.S. Military Academy; Mickey Matthews, James Madison University and David Bailiff, Rice University. You can read Doug Bauer’s editorial in the Moscow-Pullman Daily News re: Akey’s trip here . (Official Army Photo/ Lakia Clarke-Brown)

Question: In the editorial, Baer points out that football teams regularly describe their games in terms of war. Now, he maintains, Akey knows better. Are you bothered by the war analogy used by footballers and the media to hype games?