Air Force Academy adjusts cadet football attendance policy again

The Air Force Academy has adjusted its stance and will now require half of the cadet wing to attend football games.

This is double what it had been the day before but half of what it has been for decades. Confused? It has been somewhat of a moving target.

On Thursday, the academy told The Gazette that full cadet wing attendance at football games will no longer be required (the home opener and Navy games being the exceptions and remaining mandatory for the full wing). For the other four games, according to the plan on Thursday, a quarter of the cadets would be required.

A spokesman said Friday that an update to the policy will require two of the four groups of cadets to attend each game. So 50%, or roughly 2,000 cadets, will be required to attend the four non-mandatory games instead of 1,000 – but still down from the 4,000 that had long been the tradition.

The academy said Thursday that the move from the full cadet wing at games (a policy still in place at Army and Navy), "is taking place to maximize attendance across all 30 intercollegiate athletic home events. This is being done to not only bolster team spirit and unity, but also to embody the values of camaraderie and resilience which is essential for leadership."

The new policy, met with backlash on social media and in emailed responses to The Gazette, comes as the program has opened a $95 million renovation on Falcon Stadium's east side.