Spirit of sport – or trolling? US Army and Navy square off ahead of American football game
What connects exploding goats, Star Wars and James Bond?
The answer is the bizarre world of spirit videos.
Christmas spirit may be in full swing this festive period – but it is a different type that has swept through the US military this December. Now, you may not be familiar with the phrase "spirit video", but every year, these motivational clips showcasing team pride and passion flood US military social feeds.
Why?
There are some great sporting rivalries – Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, Rangers and Celtic, England and France – but few beat the greatest of frenemies, the US Army and Navy.
This weekend will see around 70,000 rabid fans screaming at the top of their lungs to cheer on their service in the annual Army v Navy American football game, which will take place at the home of former NFL Champions, the Baltimore Ravens.
These videos seek to be part of the competitive edge that will drive their team to victory on the gridiron.
The history
These hype videos started gaining in popularity in the 1990s, as motivational content shown on large screens that were starting to be installed in state-of-the-art stadiums of the time.
They began as simple messages of encouragement, willing teams to victory, but have evolved over the years – becoming bigger, better, and louder.
What changed?
Welcome to the digital age – the popularity of the internet and introduction of social media platforms saw an explosion of spirit content and allowed more individual units to make their own movie magic.
This has now seen the opening of Pandora's Box – with the injection of humour, weird and wonderful videos are appearing online and going viral, not just in the States but around the world.
Over recent years, there have been parodies of iconic films like Star Wars, with midshipmen sent on a mission to rescue Princess Leia from the West Point Death Star.
A James Bond parody saw 007 as a midshipman who rescued Navy Pride with the aid of the USNA Parachute Team.
Today's spirit spots are much higher-quality than previous examples, with the banter dial turned up to 11.
One sees the US Army using a tank to blow up Navy mascot Bill the Goat (no actual goats were harmed in the making of the video). Another depicts Army personnel dressing as sailors on a boat without a paddle and even describes their rivals as "pathetic".
The class of 2025
For 2025, the Army's budding Spielbergs created an epic film where an AI, Cadet X, is revealed and has the answer to the key to victory against the Navy.
On the Navy side, a rousing video sees the crew of the USS Dwight D Eisenhower play American football on the flight deck with Captain Demo the labrador. The dog is also dressed as Bill the Goat for extra Navy pride.
In one of the more brutal videos this year, US Army police dogs take down a man dressed in Navy uniform before soldiers blow up the football field.
So, do these videos drive their team to victory? Probably not, but they do provide every member of their respective service a chance to feel part of the team and be involved with the biggest sporting event of the military year. That can't be a bad thing, even if sometimes the videos can push the limit of rivalry banter.
Spirit videos show no sign of stopping in the age of AI – they can only get bigger and better.
Who knows – they may even cross the pond and feature ahead of Army v Navy rugby game at Twickenham next year. It's all in the spirit of the game.
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