Showtime and CBS Sports will go behind-the-scenes with the teams leading up to and during this year's Army-Navy college football game.
As the cadets and the midshipmen prepare for their annual clash in December, Showtime, in conjunction with corporate teammates CBS and CBS Sports.com, will present an all-access look at their unique season-long journey that will manifest with content on the premium network, the broadcaster and online.
Showtime, with the two-hour docu-drama, A Game of Honor, set to encapsulate the season-long build-up culminating with the Army-Navy contest itself, continues to fortify its sports roster, which currently includes boxing, mixed martial arts, Inside the NFL, Inside NASCAR and The Franchise: A Season with the San Francisco Giants.
With crews embedding with the teams, CBS Sports.com on Monday, Oct. 17 will kick off 10 weekly webisodes surrounding the two service academies.
A preview of the docu-drama is scheduled for No. 23 on Showtime with encores to follow, while CBS will air the network television premiere on Saturday, Dec. 3, a week before the academies renew their rivalry, this year in Washington D.C.
A Game Of Honor, which will incorporate footage and interviews leading up to the contest, as well as action during the game and immediately thereafter, is slated to bow on Showtime on Dec. 21.
CBS Sports creative director, Pete Radovich, who is the coordinating producer for the Emmy-Award winning Inside the NFL, will serve as director of the series. Radovich will co-produce with CBS Sports coordinating producer Steve Karasik.
"We are extremely proud to announce A Game of Honor. This program is a significant addition to an ever-growing array of compelling and unique sports programming on Showtime. It also serves as a tribute to the young men and women who have dedicated themselves to serve our country and lead our military," said Ken Hershman, executive vice president and general manager of Showtime Sports, in a statement. "The athletic departments at the academies represent the epitome of what sports and sportsmanship are all about and I thank them for providing our film crews with unprecedented access to their athletic process. We are privileged to tell their stories."
Noted CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus: "We are honored to broadcast the Army-Navy football game every year on CBS Sports and thrilled to team with Showtime, CBSSports.com and our long-standing partners at the Naval and Military academies on 'A Game of Honor. Using unparalleled access provided by the academies, this project allows us to go in-depth across multiple CBS platforms to tell inspiring, compelling and unique stories -- both on and off the field -- about the 2011 cadets and midshipmen."
CBS Sports Network (nee CBS College Sports Network) has programming relationships with Army, Navy and Air Force airing a number of their football games. Last season, the network ran a series of documentaries about the service academies as part of its "Armed Forces Week" coverage, which concluded with an Oct. 30 tripleheader showcasing the three schools in action on their homefields.
