Army-Navy Finally Finds its Match

The U.S. Automobile Association, a financial services firm that provides financial products and services to members of the U.S. military, has agreed to become the first presenting sponsor of the iconic Army-Navy football game. The game will be "presented by the USAA" starting in 2009 at Lincoln Financial Field, the 119th meeting between the two academies, and will run through 2019, the same length of CBS' broadcast rights for the game.

"Army, Navy and USAA will become synonymous over the next few years as we collectively accentuate the history, tradition and competitive spirit of this national treasure," said Navy Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk.

Gladchuk says they have been actively prospecting for a presenting sponsor since 2001, but the schools wanted to take their time with choosing the right partner.

"We displayed great care in choosing the appropriate partner for this endeavor and we feel we selected the perfect organization to properly represent America's Game," said Army Director of Athletics, Kevin Anderson.

Navy also recently announced their locations for future games. The 2011 game will be held at FedExField; the 2014 and 2016 games will be at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore; and all other games during that period will be held at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field.

With a strict hurdle rate for category and company, in addition to the auto and finance pullback, it's no wonder the deal took some time. Terms of the deal weren't released.

What do you guys think of the deal? Will the addition of a presenting sponsor take anything away from the history and spirit of America's classic inter-service rivalry?