Report: The National Guard has paid NFL teams millions to honor veterans on the Jumbotron

[Suzanimal]

Every home game, the New York Jets honor a "hometown hero": a member of the New Jersey Army National Guard who is shown on the Jumbotron and applauded by thousands of fans for his service.

It seems like an appreciative act of patriotism on the part of the Jets. But it turns out it's actually an advertising tool for the National Guard — and the federal government has paid the Jets $377,500 over the past three seasons to do this.

An investigation by Christopher Baxter and Jonathan D. Salant at NJ.com found that over the past three years, the National Guard has paid $5.3 million to 11 different NFL teams for these sorts of salutes, along with pregame video messages and other sorts of promotion. Arizona Senator Jeff Flake recently criticized these sorts of agreements as a particularly misleading instance of wasteful government spending.

Of course, it's well known that various branches of the military advertise as a recruiting tool. And veterans are frequently thanked for their service at NFL games and other sporting events.

But what makes this sort of thing so disingenuous is that fans assume NFL teams are thanking soldiers out of genuine appreciation for their service. In these cases, they were getting paid for it: it was advertising, disguised as gratitude. It's a lot like a news outlet running an ad as an article without any sort of disclaimer.

When Baxter and Salant talked to Jets spokesperson Bruce Speight, he explicitly categorized the "hometown hero" as advertising. "As with all of our sponsors, we have worked with the National Guard to create tailored advertising and marketing programs to meet their specific objectives which in this case was recruitment and retention by targeting our fans and audience through media and stadium assets controlled by the team," he said.

This doesn't mean all NFL teams' salutes to veterans are paid for. But the investigation turned up 10 other teams that had similar arrangements, including the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens — who took in a league-high $885,500 from the National Guard over a three-year period.

http://www.vox.com/2015/5/8/8570893/nfl-national-guard

[Slave Mentality]

Smart marketing considering the audience.

[angelatc]

Oh, the feels! We have to protect people from the warm fuzzies!

Have you seen the cost of an NFL ticket lately? Why would they do anything for free?

[JK/SEA]

recruiting tool. No different than advertising poison like CocaCola...

[surf]

one good thing from sequester: less flyovers.

Sounders game day is always an event, particularly the field entrance by the boys in green and their soon to be humiliated opponents. but it's strange being in a game day crowd and not really wanting to partake in the government endorsement pageantry while those around you cheer lustily as the various service members unfurl a giant flag and bellow the anthem with "pride"

getting rid of the anthem in US sports isn't going to happen, but anthems aren't played in most national leagues, and it always seems a bit strange to see Obafemi Martins facing a US flag while the song plays waiting to unleash his Nigerian football magic.

[Acala]

recruiting tool. No different than advertising poison like CocaCola...

It sure the hell IS different. It is paid for with tax money and it is a ruse to seduce young people whose brains are not even fully formed into riskng their lives for a big lie.

[oyarde]

It sure the hell IS different. It is paid for with tax money and it is a ruse to seduce young people whose brains are not even fully formed into riskng their lives for a big lie.

I thought about that too . Then I wondered how many young people could afford a ticket , and would they not be in a different economic class than the avg guy enlisting ? I think the Guard to be wasting tax monies here .

[Bryan]

Oh, the feels! We have to protect people from the warm fuzzies!

Have you seen the cost of an NFL ticket lately? Why would they do anything for free?

Agreed the NFL doesn't have to do anything for free (not to mind they are a non profit)...

A key issue however is that this is deceiving. If you want to run an ad in a newspaper that looks like an article they will run it but there will be a note on the top that says "Paid advertisement" (or similar) to make it clear that it's not a part of the standard content. This obviously isn't done here, but it should be. Do you think the reception would be different if they started off saying "The following is a paid advertisement by the Army National Guard" - that would seem appropriate. I'd further be interested to hear the language they used, such as do they ever use words like "we"? As in "We thank him for his service" - that would further build the deception.

Or maybe an NFL team would run a a similar political ad, we could put one together for Ron Paul being the champion of the Constitution and thank him for his service.

[Suzanimal]

Agreed the NFL doesn't have to do anything for free (not to mind they are a non profit)...

A key issue however is that this is deceiving. If you want to run an ad in a newspaper that looks like an article they will run it but there will be a note on the top that says "Paid advertisement" (or similar) to make it clear that it's not a part of the standard content. This obviously isn't done here, but it should be. Do you think the reception would be different if they started off saying "The following is a paid advertisement by the Army National Guard" - that would seem appropriate. I'd further be interested to hear the language they used, such as do they ever use words like "we"? As in "We thank him for his service" - that would further build the deception.

Or maybe an NFL team would run a a similar political ad, we could put one together for Ron Paul being the champion of the Constitution and thank him for his service.

This is all I could find. I'd be interested to see how they're presented at the games, as well.

[Suzanimal]

Oh, the feels! We have to protect people from the warm fuzzies!

My feels weren't hurt about them charging for an ad.

Have you seen the cost of an NFL ticket lately?

Yes, I have seen the cost of an NFL ticket. You'd think at those prices they'd be able to afford their own stadiums.

Why would they do anything for free?

I've never insinuated they should. I think Bryan, Acala, and Oyarde have already explained what I found problematic with the arrangement.

[angelatc]

My feels weren't hurt about them charging for an ad.

I didn't mean you! I am sorry!!!

I meant the tone of the article. Implying that the NFL was doing something sinister by playing the ads that they were paid to play.

[angelatc]

But what makes this sort of thing so disingenuous is that fans assume NFL teams are thanking soldiers out of genuine appreciation for their service. In these cases, they were getting paid for it: it was advertising, disguised as gratitude. It's a lot like a news outlet running an ad as an article without any sort of disclaimer.

Except that the articles that carry that disclaimer in news outlets carry it specifically to prevent advertisers from passing off ads as news. The articles that carry that disclaimer usually look exactly like an article, and are written specifically to imply to readers that it's news.

Nobody is looking at the big screen in the NFL thinking that their "reporters" actually investigated anything.

[Christopher A. Brown]

It sure the hell IS different. It is paid for with tax money and it is a ruse to seduce young people whose brains are not even fully formed into riskng their lives for a big lie.

Yes, because the military is not defending the constitution, something has to be done to glorify the act and make participation appear desireable.

One look at how veterans are treated will reveal the true appreciation for their sacrifices the infiltrated government has.

The more I understand this tragedy and betrayal the more I start to think that some officers might really respect soldiers that filed this application for an order of inquiry.

http://algoxy.com/ows/soldiersinquiry.html

Soldiers doing that would show their intelligence, their understanding of the betrayal of them, their understanding of the exact relationship between the civil government and the military, as well as true defense of the constitution, something our military generally never gets to do.

But mostly officers will respect how all of that manifests in the social courage of a soldier to demand the military court support that the military become fully accountable to establish its lawfulness, which is the only reason a soldier has to follow orders.

The ideal of law and that relationship between the military and the civil government basically supports that if the court and command do not sincerely answer and grant the order, the military has broken their contract with the soldier.

This is true because soooooo many citizens complain, with good evidence, that the civil government IS NOT constitutional, meaning it cannot bestow American lawfulness upon united states military.

[The Northbreather]

I thought about that too . Then I wondered how many young people could afford a ticket , and would they not be in a different economic class than the avg guy enlisting ? I think the Guard to be wasting tax monies here .

Maybe they're targeting the guy selling the beer....

[UWDude]

Actually, a lot of news stories are now ads, without ever saying they are.
I've seen youtube videos before, which point out different stations playing the ads with the exact same wording and graphics. Basically, a company will release a product, and the local nightly news will do a story on it, with the bullet points provided by the company, for money paid from the company.
Once you are aware of this, these type of advertisements become glaringly obvious. It's like product placement, before people were aware of it, (product placement started in movies in the 1920's, but did not get noticed and called out until the 1990's).
I don't watch television anymore, but I have noticed most of these ads are for new medications.

Trusted local newcaster: "New hope for those suffering from Dipthomiositis.... "

[enhanced_deficit]

In related past news:

US shutters Afghan base named after slain NFL star Pat Tillman

By Carlo Munoz - 11/28/12 02:41 PM EST
PAKTIKA, Afghanistan — American troops stationed here shuttered a forward operating base in eastern Afghanistan named in honor of slain Army Ranger and former NFL star Pat Tillman.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/26...er-pat-tillman

[CPUd]

Senator criticizes National Guard sponsorship deals with NFL teams

A U.S. senator has raised questions over NFL teams honoring U.S. servicemen and servicewomen, while not always disclosing they were paid to do so by the Department of Defense.

"You go to a game and you see a team honoring 'Hometown Heroes,' and you think it's some sort of public service announcement, that the team is doing it out of the goodness of their heart," Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., said to ESPN on Monday. "Then you find out it's paid for? That seems a little unseemly."

Federal contracts reveal that the U.S. Department of Defense from 2011 to 2014 paid $5.4 million for sponsorship deals with 14 NFL teams, many of which included in-game mentions. The size of the deals over the four-year period ranged from $20,000 paid to the Miami Dolphins to more than $1 million paid to the Atlanta Falcons.

National Guard sponsorships for NFL teams

The Department of Defense paid $5.4 million in sponsorship deals with various NFL teams from 2011 to 2014, according to federal contracts.
Team Revenue
Atlanta Falcons $1,049,500
Baltimore Ravens $884,500
Buffalo Bills $679,000
Indianapolis Colts $620,000
Minnesota Vikings $605,000
Green Bay Packers $600,000
New York Jets $377,500
Kansas City Chiefs $250,000
Cincinnati Bengals $138,960
Dallas Cowboys $62,500
St. Louis Rams $60,000
Pittsburgh Steelers $36,000
Cleveland Browns $22,500
Miami Dolphins $20,000
-- According to federal contracts

"The government obviously doesn't have money to burn," said Flake, who also said he's sending a letter to the Pentagon this week to ask for specifics on the return on investment of these sponsorships. "I don't see how paying to give you a shoutout at NFL games is a wise use of money."

...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12...deal-nfl-teams

[69360]

I'm ok with this. Seems like the price is fair and the target market is correct. I support having a NG and am fine with my tax dollars being used to recruit for it.

[Suzanimal]

I Feel Better About the NFL Now
Thomas DiLorenzo

It was recently reported in the news that the National Guard has paid hundreds of thousands of tax dollars (each) to various NFL teams in return for the displays of fascistic military pageantry that plague and despoil these sporting events. This makes me slightly optimistic since it means there is a chance that at least some NFL owners are not actually military fascists but simply like making money. On the downside, it is yet another ripoff of the taxpayer.

There is actually an economic lesson here as well: The core philosophical argument for taxation is the “free-rider problem.” The story that is told in all the “mainstream” economics textbooks goes like this: There is a large pent-up demand for government “services” like the National Guard, but stingy and anti-social citizens will never voluntarily contribute enough money to supply adequate quantities of these “public goods.” Therefore, coercion, intimidation, and the threat of long prison sentences must be employed to force them to pay up — or else.

According to this theory, there would be no need at all for any government advertising of any kind, since the problem is supposedly stingy citizens, not insufficient demand for the “service.” The fact that the National Guard uses tax dollars to advertise, as do ALL OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, gives the lie to the phony “free-rider problem” theory of taxation.

https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog...t-the-nfl-now/

[enhanced_deficit]

I Feel Better About the NFL Now
Thomas DiLorenzo


https://www.lewrockwell.com/lrc-blog...t-the-nfl-now/

Well said.

[euphemia]

The military also sponsors NASCAR teams and cars. That's a lot of money, even it it's for only one race.

[angelatc]

Actually, a lot of news stories are now ads, without ever saying they are.
I've seen youtube videos before, which point out different stations playing the ads with the exact same wording and graphics. Basically, a company will release a product, and the local nightly news will do a story on it, with the bullet points provided by the company, for money paid from the company.. "

I think your mistaken. Those spots are typically being read from press releases but they are not paid for reading them.

As for the rest of it, they advertise at every sporting event I can think of. Even at my kid's high school national archery tournament, there's some virtual reality game thing set up.

[CPUd]

I think your mistaken. Those spots are typically being read from press releases but they are not paid for reading them.

Not only are they not paid, but some of that stuff (like in the Conan videos) news outlets actually have to pay for access to that material.

[enhanced_deficit]

Report: The National Guard has paid NFL teams millions to honor veterans on the Jumbotron

http://www.vox.com/2015/5/8/8570893/nfl-national-guard

Has it stopped ?

[acptulsa]

The military also sponsors NASCAR teams and cars. That's a lot of money, even it it's for only one race.

Every car in the 600 mile marathon last Sunday had the name of one on the windshield. I wonder how much that cost.

And people are getting ripped off by the Wounded Warrior Scam because we can't seem to find enough scraps in the budget to take care of our vets...

[phill4paul]

Make citizens pay for stadium, make citizens pay for stadium marketing. Tier level: Excellent.

[Suzanimal]

Senate Votes to Block Pentagon Paying Millions to NFL to ‘Honor Troops’

The Senate today voted in favor of a bill which will bar the Pentagon from giving taxpayer money to NFL teams or other sports franchises in return for them “honoring the troops” during their games.

Reports of the “Patriotism for Profit” program emerged last month, with the revelations that 14 NFL teams had received $5.4 million in return for timeout displays of thanking troops for their service. This was quickly condemned by several top Congressmen.

The three Senators who pushed this bill, Sens. John McCain (R – AZ), Jeff Flake (R – AZ), and Richard Blumenthal (D – CT) issued a statement saying that the US could not afford to give “scarce defense dollars to wealthy sports teams,” decrying the program as a “marketing ploy.”

The NFL, the apparent primary beneficiaries of this program, criticized the bill, saying it was a “distorted picture” of the long-standing relationship between the military and professional football. A spokesman went on to insist the programs to “honor the troops” would continue even if the money stopped.

http://news.antiwar.com/2015/06/04/s...-honor-troops/

[Suzanimal]

Falcons will no longer accept military funds

The Falcons no longer will accept payment from military branches for advertising or any other deals, team owner Arthur Blank said.

Blank is taking that position after his team and many pro sports franchises drew sharp criticism from Congress and others last year for their marketing contracts with the military, some of which included paid tributes to troops at games.

The crackdowns don’t ban advertising, such as on video boards and in game programs, or other marketing activation at stadiums for recruitment purposes. But Blank said the Falcons will steer clear of compensation for even permitted deals in the future.

“We don’t even want to be in that discussion,” Blank said. “We don’t want any confusion about it. … We’re not going to accept any more monies under any contracts.”

http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/footb...y-funds/np9rd/

[bunklocoempire]

I'm ok with this. Seems like the price is fair and the target market is correct. I support having a NG and am fine with my tax dollars being used to recruit for it.

Good ideas need guns?

[cajuncocoa]

Falcons will no longer accept military funds


http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/footb...y-funds/np9rd/

Good! I hope this means the beginning of a lesser military presence at NFL games. Dare I hope?