On Caleb Campbell

Even if you follow college football, chances are that until Sunday, you hadn't heard much about Caleb Campbell.
It's not surprising. The 6'2" safety was the only player drafted from his team; a teams not affiliated with a major conference (and having only one nationally televised game), one whose 3-9 record - while disappointing - tied for their second best finish in the last 5 years, and a team who hasn't had a player drafted since 1997. Campbell - taken by Detroit as the 218th player in the 08 NFL Draft - is far from being a household name.
No, what makes him the focus of attention this morning is not necessarily his play on the field, but the fact he will be playing on Sundays this fall. He is - for all intents and purposes - the first major athlete to take advantage of the Army's 2005 alternative service option program.
Basically, Army grads sign up for 5 years of service after the academy. Athletes who qualify for the alternative service option program are considered on active service as a recruiter for the first two years of their pro career. If they're still playing after their second year, they can swap the remaining three years of active duty for a six-year stint in the reserves.
This program is not without controversy. Yes, as an officer, there is a very good chance Campbell would have gone to Iraq or Afghanistan or any of the other places we've stuck our armed forces' collective nose into. There is also a good chance that he would have been put in an office job at the Pentagon, become a training officer at one of the many bases here at home, or even been assigned as a recruitment officer going to schools and college campuses trying to get more men and women signed up for service in the army. Which, if you'll look closely; is exactly what he'll be doing in Detroit - or somewhere in that general area - on Tuesdays (the NFL's off-day).
The bigger question is why the United States Military Academy would enact this sort of policy.
And I think I know why. During the first two years, assuming Campbell makes the team as a starter - and starting a new safety on a defense that ranked 31st in pass defense last year isn't that big of a stretch - every week that Detroit shows up on local TV, you'll hear somebody combine the words "Caleb Campbell, Safety, Army" at least once during the game. And if - by some ungodly chance - the Lions make the Superbowl with him as a starter, the biggest television audience of the year will hear "Caleb Campbell, Army" come across the screen.
And this rule wasn't put in for Campbell; imagine what would happen when West Point finally fields a decent team again, or gets a David Robinson-like basketball talent (Yes, I know Robinson went to Navy. Bear with me for a moment.) who in his senior year, leads them to even a Sweet Sixteen game and jumps to the NBA. And if even in half the 92 NBA regular season games during the year, one of the TV announcers works in that whats-his-name is serving his country with this recruitment effort. You know that'd be Sportscenter fodder for at least a good six months. That's publicity; and publicity for the army means increased recruitment numbers, plain and simple.
And perhaps that's the point of the program. Increased exposure through athletics means increased enrollment means more volunteers.