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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHow the NFL sold patriotism to the U.S. military for millions
How the NFL sold patriotism to the U.S. military for millions
Standing for the national anthem is a new concept that may have coincided with a government marketing campaign.
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Army Lt. Col. Joe Edstrom holds an American flag before an NFL football game Sunday, November 13, 2011, in Chicago. (CREDIT: AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
President Donald Trump spent much of the weekend complaining to anyone who would listen about his disdain for the many NFL players protesting police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem. Refusing to show respect for those shows of patriotism, he claimed, was abhorrent.
If a player wants the privilege of making millions of dollars in the NFL, or other leagues, he or she should not be allowed to disrespect our Great American Flag (or Country) and should stand for the National Anthem, Trump tweeted on Saturday. If not, YOURE FIRED. Find something else to do!
He added that sports fans should never condone players that do not stand proud for their National Anthem or their Country.
Courageous Patriots have fought and died for our great American Flag we MUST honor and respect it! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, he wrote.
What the president failed to acknowledge in his rant was that many of the military displays present at NFL games were, at one time, financed by the government. Rather than organic, wholesome expressions of patriotism the kind Trump has claimed NFL players are disrespectfully protesting the tradition of players standing for the national anthem is a recent tradition that may have coincided with a marketing ploy meant to sell cheap, manufactured nationalism.
As recently as 2015, the Department of Defense was doling out millions to the NFL for such things as military flyovers, flag unfurlings, emotional color guard ceremonies, enlistment campaigns, and interestingly enough national anthem performances. Additionally, according to Vice, the NFLs policy on players standing for the national anthem also changed in 2009, with athletes encouraged thereafter to participate. Prior to that, teams were not given any specific instructions on the matter; some chose to remain in the locker room until after opening ceremonies were completed. (Its unclear whether the policy change was implemented as a direct result of any Defense Department contracts.)
In 2015, Arizona Sens. Jeff Flake (R) and John McCain (R) revealed in a joint oversight report that nearly $5.4 million in taxpayer dollars had been paid out to 14 NFL teams between 2011 and 2014 to honor service members and put on elaborate, patriotic salutes to the military. Overall, they reported, these displays of paid patriotism [were] included within the $6.8 million that the Department of Defense (DOD) [had] spent on sports marketing contracts since fiscal year 2012.
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https://thinkprogress.org/nfl-dod-national-anthem-6f682cebc7cd/
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