Common dreams article
Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Army service members salute during a ceremony at Giants stadium before the New York Jets game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. (Photo: Marine Corps/Sgt. Randall A. Clinton/public domain)
What better way to advertise military culture—and recruit teenagers—than by staging heartfelt salutes to "hometown heroes" at professional football games in front of thousands of fans?
That, apparently, is what Department of Defense officials thought when they shelled out at least $5.4 million of U.S. taxpayer' money to 14 NFL teams between 2011 and 2014—to pay them to promote the military on and off the field.
The vast majority of this money was disbursed by the National Guard, journalists Christopher Baxter and Jonathan D. Salant of New Jersey Advance Media revealed in an article published Thursday.
Jets' salutes honor N.J. National Guard but cost taxpayers
TRENTON — When the Jets paused to honor soldiers of the New Jersey Army National Guard at home games during the past four years, it was more than a heartfelt salute to the military — it was also worth a good stack of taxpayer money, records show.
The Department of Defense and the Jersey Guard paid the Jets a total of $377,000 from 2011 to 2014 for the salutes and other advertising, according to federal contracts. Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million during that time, of which $5.3 million was paid by the National Guard to 11 teams under similar contracts.