There's no excuse for this.... and the Government should put an end to is immediately.
It's no honor when it's paid for.
When it's paid for, it's just a commercial.
I believe our members of the Armed Forces SHOULD be honored.
But putting a false front on it like this?
Despicable doesn't being to cover it.
The example below is at a Seattle/Minnesota game.
I have asked my state representative to look in to this massive waste of taxpayer money.
There's no excuse for this.
If these teams want to honor the troops (And they should) that's fine. But the outrageous amount of money for the privlege?
This veteran says not only "no," but HELL NO."
It's no honor when it's paid for.
When it's paid for, it's just a commercial.
I believe our members of the Armed Forces SHOULD be honored.
But putting a false front on it like this?
Despicable doesn't being to cover it.
The example below is at a Seattle/Minnesota game.
I have asked my state representative to look in to this massive waste of taxpayer money.
There's no excuse for this.
If these teams want to honor the troops (And they should) that's fine. But the outrageous amount of money for the privlege?
This veteran says not only "no," but HELL NO."
Marcus E. Howard
The Pentagon and National Guard paid professional sports teams to publicly honor soldiers at sporting events, according to a Senate oversight report released Wednesday that labeled the practice “inappropriate and frivolous.”
Since the end of 2011, the military has spent $6.8 million on sports marketing contracts, according to the report, released by Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Republicans from Arizona.
“By paying for such heartwarming displays like recognition of wounded warriors, surprise homecomings and on-field enlistment ceremonies, these displays lost their luster,” the report said. It is unclear how much of the money went to paid tributes.
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In recent years, on-field flag rollouts and other ceremonies saluting military personnel have become commonplace at National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer games around the country. The majority of the contracts analyzed in the report — 72 of 122 — showed that the Department of Defense paid for the tributes that included national anthem performances, ceremonial first pitches, puck drops, color guard presentations and enlistment ceremonies.
Most of the contracts, the investigation found, included VIP suites and game tickets most likely to be given to participating troops or recruiters working at events.
Deals between National Guard and NFL cause a stir
The practices outlined in the report are sometimes called “paid-for patriotism” by critics. They have, the senators said, crossed the line between heartfelt gestures of goodwill and paid advertisements.
“We’re all enthusiastic to receive our men and women who are serving in uniform honored at various sporting events,” McCain said. “We are very grateful for that. Unfortunately, thanks to an in-depth investigation, a lot of that patriotism was paid for.”
More than a third of the contracts highlighted in the report were not included in a list provided by the Pentagon, the senators said. Two-thirds of the contracts found in their own investigation or reported by the Department of Defense, they said, contained some form of “paid patriotism.”
The 150-page report said that the Pentagon has not fully accounted for the “nature and extent” of the practice.
“It’s like pulling teeth,” Flake said of the Pentagon’s cooperation.
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