The NFL invoices the military when soldiers are honored before or during a game. Patriotism for profit.
On-field events recognizing military service members — including ceremonial first pitches, honor guards and Jumbotron tributes — have become common at professional sports venues over the past several years.
Many in the stands assume the team or league puts on the tributes, but often it has been the Department of Defense, meaning tax dollars were used to foot the bill.
A report released Wednesday criticized the Department of Defense for spending millions in sports marketing contracts and called to task the professional sports teams that took the money, saying they were engaged in “paid patriotism.”
But the report found higher spending by many entities, including the Georgia Army National Guard paying the Atlanta Falcons $879,000 in fiscal years 2012 to 2015, and the Massachusetts Army National Guard paying the New England Patriots $700,000 in fiscal years 2012 to 2014.
READ MORE:
[contentcards url=”http://www.post-gazette.com/news/nation/2015/11/06/Department-of-Defense-paid-53-million-to-pro-sports-for-military-tributes-report-says/stories/201511060140″ target=”_blank”]