Paid Patriotism: the Pentagon spent millions bribing sports teams to recognize military service

[Read the post]

How is this different than any other television time the military pays for? I got upset when I first heard the miltary was spending millions to sponsor NASCAR teams. Then I realized I’d rather they spend the money trying to recruit me than trying to conscript me. In other words: how else are you going to sustain an endless global war with an all-volunteer army?

3 Likes

7 Likes

I find it funny that certain Senators are upset that a big business expects payment for services instead of donating the services (and therefore the money) to the military, but ask those same big businesses to pay more taxes to support new roads, schools, and, yes, the military, and they throw a fit…

3 Likes

…seemingly spontaneous patriotism.

Really? Does anybody think people march in precision formations spontaneously?

3 Likes

The senators note in the report that while the DOD and NFL said the
purpose is to boost recruiting, the Pentagon has no measurement on
whether the activities paid for are in fact contributing to recruiting.

“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” --John Wanamaker

1 Like

6 Likes

There is more than recruitment going on here, like erasing the difference in the public’s mind between two sports teams competing and two countries fighting. My Team! = My Country!

3 Likes

They want the same in the UK, too, apparently.

I hope all you UK types are wearing your poppies to protect you from the outrage brigade.

well, yes…but your jumping ahead. “I can run faster…my child is more beautiful…our country is the greatest” are all symptoms of barbarism, but as we have seen, two thirds can not or will not ascribe to more universal concepts such as ending poverty or world peace. do you have a more recent reference photo?..because they’re not going to pull this military spending any faster than losing the redskins name.

1 Like

Yeah, the IOC makes the NFL look like dilettantes, doesn’t it?

1 Like

That can backfire! I grew up thinking that spectator sports are vicarious wastes of time which keep people from getting fit. So I grew up thinking that spectator countries are vicarious wastes of time which keep people from developing responsibility.

2 Likes

White poppy?

Or maybe a black poppy for all those who rebelled against their orders in the first world war?

2 Likes

Thankfully Germany has moved on quite a bit since then



I just wish that Britain wasn’t moving in the opposite direction :frowning:

3 Likes

Because it’s clear the other TV time is an ad.

These ads claimed that the military was so popular with the team and players that they did it purely out of patriotism and gratitude. Instead the military wasn’t as popular with them as suggested and major motivation was money, that’s false advertising.

1 Like

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.