For those who have gone to professional football games and seen the vast outpouring of support for our troops, before you let your heart swell with pride, be warned that some of the NFL teams are being paid to do it.  U.S. Senator Jeff Flake (R-Ariz), posted one examples of what he deems as wasteful spending when he called out the Jets organization in particular for being paid to show patriotism.

“Those of us go to sporting events and see them honoring the heroes, you get a good feeling in your heart. Then to find out they’re doing it because they’re compensated for it, it leaves you underwhelmed. It seems a little unseemly.”

Overall, the Defense Department has paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million from 2011 to 2014 according to the New Jersey Star Ledger’s article: Jets’ Salutes Honor N.J. National Guard but Cost Taxpayer.  Though it’s wonderful to honor our troops for their service many wonder if our veterans, who are in desperate need of care, would be better served if that money were spent to treat war induced wounds and issues rather than them being “honored”.

There are even some veterans who have written about their discomfort with some of the “honor the troops” displays at sporting events.  In the post, “Stop Thanking Me for My Service”  a former U.S. Army Ranger blasts American Foreign Policy and The Corporate State:

“I have to admit, whenever I find myself in the midst of a large public gathering (which fortunately isn’t that often), and the token veteran or two is called out in front of the masses to “honor” I immediately begin to cringe as a result of a massive internal conflict. On the one hand, I recognize that the veteran(s) being honored is most likely a decent human being. Either poor or extraordinarily brainwashed, the man or woman paraded in front of the crowd is nothing more than a pawn. Even if their spouse hasn’t left them; even if whatever conflict they were involved in didn’t result in a permanent disability or post-traumatic stress disorder, this person has been used and abused, and thirty seconds of cheering in between ravenous bites out of a foot long hotdog from a drunk and apathetic crowd isn’t going to change that.”

However, there are some who feel that this is not a waste of taxpayer money.  The Daily News covered this same story and interviewed Rep. Pete King (R-NY) who thinks “it’s money well spent.”

“People watching the NFL are generally inclined to be pro-military,” King told The News. “As far as the Jets, in addition to whatever money they’ve gotten from the (Department of Defense), I do know they are very actively engaged with veterans. The Jets do far more on balance than they get paid for.”

 

 

So, is this kind of spending a waste of money?  Should that money be used to actually do something of substance for our troops/veterans?  Or, is it “money well spent”?