Defense Dept. paid NFL millions of taxpayer dollars to salute troops

[Exilednight]

The United States Department of Defense paid the National Football League more than $5 million in taxpayer money between 2011 to 2014 to honor U.S. soldiers and veterans at games, an investigation revealed this week.

snip

But instead of purely heartfelt salutes to soldiers from hometown football teams, the halftime segments were reportedly part of paid promotions under federal advertising contracts for the military.

snip

‘Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes; you get a good feeling in your heart,” Sen. Flake told NJ.com. “Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly

Not sure my stomach can handle it, but I agree with the Republican Congressman.

Edit to add link: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/defense-department-paid-5-4-million-nfl-honor-troops/

[okaawhatever]

1. I do get that the Armed Services need to advertise and try to attract the best recruits, but it

should be disclosed. I don't want others to mistake the NFL's profit motivation for goodwill like I did.

[HereSince1628]

3. The call to service has always been answered...this wasn't for recruiting

It was to promote the image. aka JINGOSISM.

Advertising used for propaganda if you will, and totally unnecessary...

Even in Vietnam, 75% were volunteers

http://history-world.org/vietnam_war_statistics.htm

[Scuba]

14. Bingo!

[Exilednight]

4. That's where I agree. Not every team took part, if you

Follow the links in the story you will find a list of which teams did and how much.

I'd like to believe, and I did at the time, that teams were doing this out of appreciation. Now it just looks like several did this out of corporate greed. In 2013 each team received approximately a quarter of a billion dollars from the NFL, and that doesn't include what each team made independent of NFL revenue.

They can afford $5 million collectively.

[Iggo]

2. Ew.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

5. Commercials suck. Having to pay for them sucks even more.

[Exilednight]

7. With a commercial, you know it's being paid for, but

This is not a 20 second commercial between time outs.

[libdem4life]

6. The NFL has been scamming taxpayers, like, forever. Until recently it was "Non-Profit", Right.

I'm surprised they make the players pay tax. The cost to the taxpayer of stadiums...ostensibly to "lure" the trickle down money from games and local businesses and sponsorship gigs..has been enormous. Can't complain about the ticket price, because that's up front payola out of pocket. I'm sure many people on here know more about how they have soaked the fanatics and the non-fanatics.

This is just downright non-patriotic...but then, hey, it's profit...I mean non-profit profit...no, profit for non-profit. At least now, as I think I recall, they are going to have to pay some taxes on some of the booty they can't hide outside the US.

[Exilednight]

9. I always hate how teams sell new stadium ideas to

cities and how "profitable" they will be. If they are going to be so profitable, why aren't they building the stadiums themselves and keeping the profits?

[libdem4life]

10. Precisely, except for the old adage, Always use someone else's money.

[Exilednight]

11. Exactly. A guaranteed 20 million is better than a

POSSIBLE 100 million. A bird in the hand and all that.

[kentuck]

8. Why should they care?

It's taxpayers dollars.

[exboyfil]

12. A little dated but still a great article

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/how-the-nfl-fleeces-taxpayers/309448/

[Exilednight]

13. Great article.