4) The NFL gets paid by the federal government for military and flag presentations
A 2016 report by Arizona senators Jeff Flake and John McCain uncovered that the U.S. Department of Defense handed $6.8 million to the NFL and other sports leagues for what the lawmakers called “paid patriotism.” According to USA Today, the NFL took in the most money by far—cashing in on marketing contracts that totaled $6 million since the 2012 fiscal year. The paid events included full-field displays of the American flag, military enlistment ceremonies and emotional reunions of returning servicemembers and their families.
Flake and McCain, who is a decorated Vietnam War veteran, said in their 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.”
