Over the past few years, the Pentagon has given $6.8 million in taxpayer money to professional sports teams to covertly honor the military at games and events, according to a new report from Arizona Republican Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain, who called the arrangement "paid patriotism."
Since 2012, the Pentagon has signed at least 72 advertising-marketing contracts with teams from the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and Major League Soccer, the senators revealed in their 145-page report released Wednesday.
The DOD spent a total of $53 million on marketing and advertising contracts with the teams, which included legitimate ad campaigns, however, it also included $6.8 million that was so inappropriate that the senators labeled it patriotism for profit.
The money paid for events including full-field displays of the American flag, color guard and enlistment ceremonies, performances of the national anthem, and emotional reunions of returning servicemembers and their families, according to USA Today.
The report noted that fans rarely knew that the military had paid the teams for the display of patriotism.
"Given the immense sacrifices made by our servicemembers, it seems more appropriate that any organization with a genuine interest in honoring them, and deriving public credit as a result, should do so at its own expense and not at that of the American taxpayer," said the report. "Americans deserve the ability to assume that tributes for our men and women in military uniform are genuine displays of national pride, which many are, rather than taxpayer-funded DOD marketing gimmicks."
NFL teams were by far the biggest beneficiaries, receiving more than $6 million. The NFL's Atlanta Falcons took $879,000 from the Georgia Army National Guard for various promotions, while the New England Patriots received $700,000 and the Buffalo Bills got $650,000. The Atlanta Braves were paid the most of any MLB franchise, $450,000, while the Minnesota Wild were paid the most of any NHL team, $570,000.
McCain said a large military authorization bill making its way through Congress will ban the practice, according to Reuters.
