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Paid Patriotism - How the DOD paid NFL teams for flag ceremonies
Truthdig ^ | 9/26/17 | Emma Niles

Posted on 09/27/2017 7:35:18 AM PDT by RinaseaofDs

Unfortunately, contrary to the public statements made by DOD and the NFL, the majority of the contracts—72 of the 122 contracts we analyzed—clearly show that DOD paid for patriotic tributes at professional football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer games.

These paid tributes included on-field color guard, enlistment and reenlistment ceremonies, performances of the national anthem, full-field flag details, ceremonial first pitches and puck drops. The National Guard paid teams for the “opportunity” to sponsor military appreciation nights and to recognize its birthday.

It paid the Buffalo Bills to sponsor its Salute to the Service game. DOD even paid teams for the “opportunity” to perform surprise welcome home promotions for troops returning from deployments and to recognize wounded warriors. …


TOPICS: Extended News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: anthem; cronyism; dod; football; nfl; recruitment; sports
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McCain and Flake put an end to this in 2016. However, I had no idea DOD was PAYING THEM TO HONOR THE FLAG.

So here's the conclusion: Unless you pay the NFL, they won't respect the flag. However, if we pay them, they will.

I am speechless. Saw this today on RT of all places.

1 posted on 09/27/2017 7:35:19 AM PDT by RinaseaofDs
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To: RinaseaofDs
So here's the conclusion: Unless you pay the NFL, they won't respect the flag. However, if we pay them, they will.

Depressing, in several different ways.

2 posted on 09/27/2017 7:37:20 AM PDT by Pearls Before Swine
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To: Pearls Before Swine

Well, I guess that right now the DoD is still paying them - just not getting what they are paying for.


3 posted on 09/27/2017 7:38:37 AM PDT by PeteB570 ( Islam is the sea in which the Terrorist Shark swims. The deeper the sea the larger the shark.)
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To: RinaseaofDs

And I think I read the ‘pay to “respect the flag, etc.” ‘ was started under the Obama Admin. Maybe the players are upset that the ‘pay’ ended and now are quite willing to show their true feelings. Sadly, in Obamaland, it frequently turns out to be ‘all about the money’.


4 posted on 09/27/2017 7:38:56 AM PDT by originalbuckeye ('In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act'- George Orwell)
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To: RinaseaofDs

Probably not a lot of folks know that all those “honor the military” events were paid for using tax dollars. Sure wasn’t out of the goodness of the nfl’s heart. Well if there was a heart.


5 posted on 09/27/2017 7:39:26 AM PDT by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?!)
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To: RinaseaofDs

Bump for reference


6 posted on 09/27/2017 7:40:20 AM PDT by Robert357 ( Dan Rather was discharged as "medically unfit" on May 11, 1954.)
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To: RinaseaofDs

The NFL only cares about money, just like all the breast cancer awareness nonsense.

It’s been a slow creep of politicization fueled by bribery.


7 posted on 09/27/2017 7:42:02 AM PDT by Shadow44
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To: Shadow44

all so called charities that only push “awareness” of a medical disease are suspect. It is never a cure because cure research required oversight and results. “Awareness” is BS for self promotion. (see also big brother or red cross)


8 posted on 09/27/2017 7:45:11 AM PDT by longtermmemmory (VOTE! http://www.senate.gov and http://www.house.gov)
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To: Shadow44

“...The NFL only cares about money, just like all the breast cancer awareness nonsense. It’s been a slow creep of politicization fueled by bribery....”

Wow. Sound like the NFL is just another branch of the communist UniParty. That’s how they operate. Corrupt to the core. Evil. They need to be boycotted all the way to bankruptcy.


9 posted on 09/27/2017 7:46:12 AM PDT by lgjhn23 (It's easy to be liberal when you're dumber than a box of rocks.)
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To: RinaseaofDs
I am speechless

This is totally on the owners and coaches. When the NFL was being paid for patriotic performances, there were demands on the players. Now that the money has dried up, they allow, and now in some places encourage or demand, that players sully these ceremonies. Any team that in the past accepted this money but now hasn't fined or suspended the ingrates should be held accountable by the fans.

10 posted on 09/27/2017 7:50:15 AM PDT by grania (Deplorable and Proud of It!)
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To: Shadow44
The NFL only cares about money, just like all the breast cancer awareness nonsense.

32 billionaire owners probably have massive egos and think of themselves of gods, while Goodell likely runs in the elitist, statist world of bankers, top politicians and is a key figure in the media-entertainment complex. He no doubt is fully inculcated with their ideology and culture. Do you really expect him to understand anything else except money and politically correct signaling?

I love that Trump ripped the lid off this crony-capitalist enterprise.

11 posted on 09/27/2017 7:51:18 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: Shadow44

I’m offended by the breast cancer pink ribbon stuff. Even if it were a logical cause for the NFL, promoting it has no place on the field.


12 posted on 09/27/2017 7:52:17 AM PDT by grania (Deplorable and Proud of It!)
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To: RinaseaofDs

The future for No Fans Left, aka the former NFL!


13 posted on 09/27/2017 7:54:04 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Free people stand proudly! Slaves cower and knell before their masters!)
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To: originalbuckeye
Maybe the players are upset that the ‘pay’ ended and now are quite willing to show their true feelings.

Robert Barnes: No, NFL Players Do Not Have a Right to Kneel or Boycott American Anthem

Fourth, the league specifically articulates restrictions on how players must handle the national anthem. The game-operations manual — not the rules manual — dictates how NFL games should be run, including how players must handle the anthem. The NFL’s own website threatens “penalties for noncompliance” with the game operations manual.” The manual requires that “all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem.” It further requires the players “stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking” during the playing of the anthem. The manual recognized the league will “be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country” and it is thusly the duties of the owner to have this “pointed our to players and coaches.” The sanctions for non-compliance include “fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choices.”

Trump is right: the league’s own rules require respect for the anthem and flag under which many Americans returned in caskets. The fact the NFL chose to ignore its own rules, its own contracts, and its own collective bargaining agreement is a sign it doesn’t consider disrespect for the flag to be “conduct detrimental” to the “public reputation” of the league. That’s what happens when you get your news from CNN.

14 posted on 09/27/2017 7:55:28 AM PDT by kabar
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To: RinaseaofDs

So to honor the flag they violated the 10th Amendment....


15 posted on 09/27/2017 7:55:40 AM PDT by Rurudyne (Standup Philosopher)
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To: RinaseaofDs
McCain and Flake put an end to this in 2016

Did they do this before or after Trump won the election? It has a different connotation if it was after.

Why didn't they do it years ago?

16 posted on 09/27/2017 8:02:58 AM PDT by Freee-dame (Best election ever.)
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To: kabar

No, no, I have numerous Leftist ‘friends’ on Facebook that have posted Snopes on this......Snopes says these regulations are not true ; )


17 posted on 09/27/2017 8:06:32 AM PDT by originalbuckeye ('In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act'- George Orwell)
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To: lgjhn23

Since the vast majority of NFL owners and that asshole, ROGER GOODELL are LIBERALS, should anybody be surprised?


18 posted on 09/27/2017 8:09:27 AM PDT by Howie66 ("Tone down the tagline please." - Admin Moderator)
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To: RinaseaofDs

No the conclusion is if you pay them they’ll do anything. They didn’t used to have an “official beer sponsor” until Coors offered up a bunch of money. The simple fact is the TV networks pay thousands of dollars a minute for the NFL, they’re not using any of that time for anything unless they’re getting paid. They were doing the anthem and stuff before 2009, but then the DOD offered them money to make a bigger deal of it, so they did.


19 posted on 09/27/2017 8:17:41 AM PDT by discostu (Things are in their place, The heavens are secure, The whole thing explodes in my face)
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To: longtermmemmory

It’s a huge issue, people coined the term “pinkwashing” for the amount of fraudulent activity that occurs with these “charities”.

Breast cancer is just an incredibly emotionally charged issue people have learned to exploit.


20 posted on 09/27/2017 8:21:41 AM PDT by Shadow44
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