“Americans across the country should be deeply disappointed that numerous ceremonies honoring troops at professional sporting events are not actually being conducted out of a sense of patriotism, but for profit in the form of millions in taxpayer dollars going from the Department of Defense to wealthy pro sports franchises”, said Senator John McCain, one of the co-authors of the report.
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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to the senators on Monday saying that the league “strongly opposes” using recruitment funds for patriotic tributes. The contracts that contained such activities were worth $6.8 million out of the $10.4 million the DOD spent on marketing and advertising contracts with professional sports teams from 2012-2015.
The Rangers received $75,000 for contracts that included two performances of the national anthem by a National Guard soldier, game tickets, a National Guard employer night, and batting practice.
“Unsuspecting audience members became the subjects of paid marketing campaigns rather than simply bearing witness to teams’ authentic, voluntary shows of support for the fearless men and women who wear our nation’s uniform”, the report by the Arizona Republicans said. They say it is a Department of Defense marketing and recruiting tactic paid for by the taxpayer.
The Bills weren’t the only team to receive payments for honoring military servicemembers and veterans. National Football League teams were paid a reported $16.1 million from 2012-15.
In total, members of Congress said $53 million in taxpayer money has been spent on sponsoring these events. Any inappropriate payments, he wrote, would be refunded.
“Even if we accept the DOD’s assurances that the young men and women watching these games may be sufficiently inspired to military service by a half-time reenlistment ceremony, a few of the displays funded in these contracts defy explanation as a legitimate recruiting goal and may be little more than a taxpayer-funded boondoggle”, the report states.
As for the rest of Ohio, the Columbus Crew took in $13,000 from the Air Force, but the Columbus Blue Jackets aren’t listed.
Interestingly, Congressional leaders seem to be of two minds about this heavily subsidized pretense of a pro-military environment, insisting it is a waste of money but largely expecting the teams to continue the programs irrespective of whether they pay for them.
The Milwaukee Brewers were paid $80,000 for paid patriotism, according to the report.
The National Guard paid the Indianapolis Colts football team for a luxury suite, autographs, pregame visits to the field and cheerleader appearances.
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The report praised that move, but the senators said they wanted to highlight the practice so it is stops once and for all. It said the Defense Department shouldn’t have spent the money, and teams in the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball and other leagues shouldn’t have accepted it. In reality, in a few cases it was the league’s way of making a few money.
