Why is the Army-Navy game being played at Patriots' Gillette Stadium? Exploring the game's location for 2023

The 124th edition of the Army-Navy game will be held in the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. The venue is the home ground of one of the NFL's most successful teams, the New England Patriots. But what is the reason behind taking the rivalry game outside the mid-atlantic region for the first time since 1983?

The Army-Navy clash is also known as ‘America’s game’ and has a lot of significance in the sporting culture of the country. It is one of the oldest running sports traditions of the nation, dating back to the 1890s. And the game has been televised annually since 1945, after the end of the Second World War.

Here is all we know about the reason behind holding the 2023 edition of the Army-Navy rivalry game at the Gillette Stadium.

Why is the Army-Navy game being played at the Patriots’ Gillette Stadium?

The 2023 Army-Navy game is being played at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, to mark the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. The landmark event in American history happened back in December 1773 at the Boston Harbor.

It was a major milestone in the lead-up to the American War of Independence. And what better way to mark it than with ‘America's Game’ between the two wings of the country's armed forces, the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen?

The game will kick off on Saturday, December 9, at 3 p.m. ET and can be watched on CBS Sports, which has aired the game every year since 1996. In New York, the game will be available to watch on WCBS-2. Here is a look at the Army-Navy rivalry and the other instances when the game took a detour.

Which other non mid-atlantic site has hosted the Army vs Navy game?

The Army-Navy game is typically held in Philadelphia, which has hosted it 90 times so far. There have been other locations that have hosted the clash but it has rarely gone outside the mid-Atlantic region. The last time it happened was in 1983, when the Rose Bowl in California hosted the game.

Army v Navy: PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - DECEMBER 10: Cade Ballard #18 of the Army Black Knights throws during the fourth quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Lincoln Financial Field on December 10, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

It also happened back in 1926 when the game was held in Chicago's Soldier Field. So, it is the third time in the history of the rivalry that the game is being hosted outside the mid-Atlantic region.

The Navy has a better record historically in the rivalry with 62 wins. The Army has gotten the better of the Midshipmen 45 times. The Commander-in-Chief Trophy will be up for grabs for the Black Knights as a win would secure it for them.

A victory for the Midshipmen, though, would see the Air Force Falcons take the trophy to the Colorado Springs, just like last year.