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Source: SportsCasting
The Crazy Amount of Money the Military Gives to the NFL
by Sam Becker | June 11, 2018
And the players and team owners are rewarded handsomely, of course — much more so than your average soldier. But that's a different story.
Controversies involving the national anthem and player protests are dominating the conversation when it comes to the NFL. While the national anthem protest started with Colin Kaepernick's attempt to bring attention to police violence and racial issues, President Donald Trump has hijacked it and made it about something else entirely. In his eyes, taking a knee during the anthem is a slap in the face to the military, veterans, and the country at large.
Although it'll be some time before all of that gets sorted out, we can look back at another curious way in which the NFL and military have interwoven themselves. If you remember a couple of years ago, it was revealed that the Department of Defense was paying the NFL for patriotic displays at the taxpayers' expense. This was surprising to many people who figured the NFL was probably more than happy to eat the costs to honor veterans, find tickets for soldiers, and host flyovers before games.
As it turns out, the league was not eating those costs. It was more of a marketing stunt than anything else. Given the controversy surrounding the troops, the national anthem, and the NFL, it's a good time to look back at the revelations concerning the Department of Defense and the NFL — and dig into how much money was involved.
If you missed the whole controversy the first time around, you might be surprised at just how much of your tax dollars were spent on marketing for the military. As a teaser, the total was more than $5 million in just a three-year span. Here's how the numbers break down between the NFL and the military.
The NFL and the military: A short history
Government records show NFL teams have received millions from the Department of Defense.
Again, the NFL and military are not strangers. There have seemingly always been soldiers at the games to take part in the singing of the national anthem or in some other capacity. But it's relatively recent that the NFL has been raking in big bucks to do it. According to NJ.com, the Department of Defense had "paid at least $6 million in taxpayer money" to the NFL. This report, which was published in May 2015, was based on government records.
Please go to SportsCasting to continue reading.
Source: SportsCasting
The Crazy Amount of Money the Military Gives to the NFL
by Sam Becker | June 11, 2018
The Department of Defense pays the NFL for these displays. | Elsa/Getty Images
The NFL and the military are like two peas in a pod in a number of ways. From the "battle" themes to the uniforms, professional football is rife with militaristic themes. Like Roman gladiators, when NFL players take the field we get to see them duke it out in the heat of competition. They go to battle, and a victor is crowned after using plenty of strategic planning and brute force.
And the players and team owners are rewarded handsomely, of course — much more so than your average soldier. But that's a different story.
Controversies involving the national anthem and player protests are dominating the conversation when it comes to the NFL. While the national anthem protest started with Colin Kaepernick's attempt to bring attention to police violence and racial issues, President Donald Trump has hijacked it and made it about something else entirely. In his eyes, taking a knee during the anthem is a slap in the face to the military, veterans, and the country at large.
Although it'll be some time before all of that gets sorted out, we can look back at another curious way in which the NFL and military have interwoven themselves. If you remember a couple of years ago, it was revealed that the Department of Defense was paying the NFL for patriotic displays at the taxpayers' expense. This was surprising to many people who figured the NFL was probably more than happy to eat the costs to honor veterans, find tickets for soldiers, and host flyovers before games.
As it turns out, the league was not eating those costs. It was more of a marketing stunt than anything else. Given the controversy surrounding the troops, the national anthem, and the NFL, it's a good time to look back at the revelations concerning the Department of Defense and the NFL — and dig into how much money was involved.
If you missed the whole controversy the first time around, you might be surprised at just how much of your tax dollars were spent on marketing for the military. As a teaser, the total was more than $5 million in just a three-year span. Here's how the numbers break down between the NFL and the military.
The NFL and the military: A short history
The Department of Defense spends big bucks to partner with the NFL. | Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images
Government records show NFL teams have received millions from the Department of Defense.
Again, the NFL and military are not strangers. There have seemingly always been soldiers at the games to take part in the singing of the national anthem or in some other capacity. But it's relatively recent that the NFL has been raking in big bucks to do it. According to NJ.com, the Department of Defense had "paid at least $6 million in taxpayer money" to the NFL. This report, which was published in May 2015, was based on government records.
Please go to SportsCasting to continue reading.
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