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Posted on May 10, 2015
Should the DoD really pay the NFL for honoring troops?
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I'm not one that needs nor wants recognition for my service. I actually prefer to keep my service private within my own circle of family and friends.
I have also served as a recruiter for the Army, so I can appreciate the advertising point of view. This being said, if a show of appreciation for service members is paid for by their own organization instead of its hosts, the NFL, which is a multi billion dollar industry, it lacks sincerity, does it not?
I do however support the DoD providing fly overs by the Air Force. In my opinion, this is a display of overall protection from our military while we enjoy events that our countrymen have enjoyed for generations.
Do you think that the NFL should pay for these bills during the events (minus fly overs), or is it necessary for the DoD to pay for them in order to display our military for any particular reason....?
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/5/8/8573341/national-guard-paying-nfl-teams-jets
I have also served as a recruiter for the Army, so I can appreciate the advertising point of view. This being said, if a show of appreciation for service members is paid for by their own organization instead of its hosts, the NFL, which is a multi billion dollar industry, it lacks sincerity, does it not?
I do however support the DoD providing fly overs by the Air Force. In my opinion, this is a display of overall protection from our military while we enjoy events that our countrymen have enjoyed for generations.
Do you think that the NFL should pay for these bills during the events (minus fly overs), or is it necessary for the DoD to pay for them in order to display our military for any particular reason....?
http://www.sbnation.com/2015/5/8/8573341/national-guard-paying-nfl-teams-jets
NFL
Patriotism
Football
DoD
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 16
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I personally find the thought of paying an NFL team, or any organization for that matter, to recognize, honor, or otherwise display our troops completely absurd. It is marketing wrapped in deception and it diminishes all those involved. The NFL team gets acolades for supporting the military (support that may or may not really exist) and the military essentially does advertising under false pretense. I'm not a marketing expert, so it may have an impact, but it's akin to subliminal advertising to me, based on deception, and should be prohibited by DOD. It disturbs me almost as much knowing that there are people somewhere in the chain of command that signed off on this nonsense as being an appropriate practice.
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ABSOLUTELY NOT! I find this to be an total waste of scarce tax dollars. Moreover, this flies in the face of all the nonsense we hear about DOD not having enough money to do this, that, or the next thing.
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This report took me by surprise. It really cheapens the ceremonies we always see in pregame or halftime. If the DoD is paying the NFL, I'm sure MLB and the NBA are close behind. How far away are we from some of the infamous historical regimes that forcefully injected national pride into sporting events to stir nationalism?
To look at it from a different angle, as a volunteer force, marketing for recruitment has always been an objective for the DoD. I see this, in some ways, as a unique extension of this marketing. I still am quite worried about how we (as a country) will raise our next generation to have pride in the military without massive marketing dollars or asking popular sporting organizations to endorse us.
To look at it from a different angle, as a volunteer force, marketing for recruitment has always been an objective for the DoD. I see this, in some ways, as a unique extension of this marketing. I still am quite worried about how we (as a country) will raise our next generation to have pride in the military without massive marketing dollars or asking popular sporting organizations to endorse us.
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Like you I'm fine with the fly over, after all the pilots require flying hours for proficiency anyway. They certainly shouldn't pay to do it. They shouldn't pay to provide a color guard or to be part of any other part of the NFL experience. Does a professional singer pay to sing the National Anthem, as it is also advertising/promotion of themselves?
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I have a plaque on my wall that I received in 2007 from the Florida Marlins; Florida Marlins Solider of the Month.
I received nose bleed tickets, filmed receiving my plaque on the negatron, and got to hang out by the cheerleaders locker room while I secured all of their signatures on my cheerleader calendar (oh, and drank beer at $6 a glass).
I thought I truly earned that day, now I wonder.
At least the cheerleaders were sincere and honest; that was the best part of the day.
I received nose bleed tickets, filmed receiving my plaque on the negatron, and got to hang out by the cheerleaders locker room while I secured all of their signatures on my cheerleader calendar (oh, and drank beer at $6 a glass).
I thought I truly earned that day, now I wonder.
At least the cheerleaders were sincere and honest; that was the best part of the day.
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SFC Douglas Duckett
I was not a big baseball fan, but had a pretty good time. Them cheerleaders were great (and good looking).
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I would not pay any of those money grubbing people one red cent to buy their patriotism, if they don't like the military, that's there opinion. The money paid to the nfl could have went to vets who need care.
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I do not like the idea of paying to honor Veterans/Service Members.
It is a waste of tax dollars, money that could be spent on Veterans and Service Members.
The article did say not all teams receive money from the DoD, so it would be nice to think the other teams honor Service members because that's what they want to do.
I don't know too much about other sports and their Vet programs, I know the UFC puts on Fight for Troops events, that I believe are free to Service Members. And I know the New York Mets give free tickets to Service Members to any game, tickets are whatever is available 2 hours before the start of the game.
It is a waste of tax dollars, money that could be spent on Veterans and Service Members.
The article did say not all teams receive money from the DoD, so it would be nice to think the other teams honor Service members because that's what they want to do.
I don't know too much about other sports and their Vet programs, I know the UFC puts on Fight for Troops events, that I believe are free to Service Members. And I know the New York Mets give free tickets to Service Members to any game, tickets are whatever is available 2 hours before the start of the game.
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SGT Nilpao Charles
I do agree with the points you've made in your response, I meant no in response to the original question that the DoD should pay the NFL for honoring Vets. WWE, UFC, and various other sports organizations hold events honoring trrops and in those cases tickets are free or discounted for troops. But for the NFL to be paid some absurd amount of money so two teams play a game honoring the troops is, in my opinion, unacceptable.
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My question is, did the honorees know they were participating in a commercial for the military/NFL? Were they also duly compensated for their role?
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SFC (Join to see)
1LT Timothy Kneisel , I'm sure they were aware of any commercials or what not, but I'd bet they weren't given anything for their roles.
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Hell No!
They get paid way more than they ought already.
Technically, we should be getting paid more. Within reason, and based on hazardous conditions, technical experience, and education. For classification starters.
They get paid way more than they ought already.
Technically, we should be getting paid more. Within reason, and based on hazardous conditions, technical experience, and education. For classification starters.
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