Charlotte is one step closer to hosting historic Army-Navy football game

What’s happening: This is the last formal step in the bid process to host a future game, for which Axios’ Katie Peralta Soloff reported Charlotte was in the running last month.

Expect to see digital signage for “America’s Game” across town.

Why it matters: It’s the Army-Navy game. It’s an iconic college football matchup. You may not care about the sport, but you know this is the game that draws sitting presidents and other high-profile politicians.

• Plus, it has a significant boost for the host city. Organizers in Philadelphia, where the game will take place on Dec. 10, estimate it provides $30 million in economic impact, the Capital Gazette reported.
• And the game is typically a sellout, “drawing 50,000 out-of-town visitors booking 25,000 hotel rooms, dining in restaurants and spending money in other ways,” per the Gazette.

The big picture: While the game has been played 122 times, it has never taken place in the South, the Orlando Sentinel first reported. They also reported Southern cities Orlando and Dallas are vying to host the game, along with Boston and Chicago.

Zoom out: Bringing the Army-Navy game to Charlotte would be familiar territory for CSF, which helps put on some of Charlotte’s high-profile sporting events, including the ACC Championship football game and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

• Plus, they’re working with Jordan Brand on Jumpman Invitational, a major men’s and women’s college basketball tournament. The three-year deal kicks off this December.

What’s next: There is no timeline for the announcement, but the game would be in the next five years.

Flashback: The first game took place in West Point, New York, on Nov. 29, 1890. Navy beat Army 24-0. Since then, most of the games have been played in Philadelphia, which sits between Army’s home in West Point and Navy’s home in Annapolis, Maryland.