Falcons were paid $1 million to honor military ‘Hometown Heroes’
The fuel of cynicism is knowledge.
Until today I was under the impression sports teams honored military personnel due to patriotism or some sense of community spirit.
But then I read an article that says taxpayers shelled out $5.4 million to 14 NFL teams to honor mostly National Guard troops
The Falcons were paid more than $1 million, the highest of any NFL team. I will try to get confirmation from the Falcons today, and ask the Braves if they operate under a similar deal.
A politician, believe it or not, seems to have uncovered the trail of public cash flowing to the NFL to promote military service.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Arizona) recently pointed out the New Jersey National Guard paid the New York Jets about $100,000 for one "federally funded feel-good moment."
In total, the Jets were paid about $377,000, NJ.com reports.
What did the money buy? According to Flake it bought:
- A videoboard feature — 'Hometown Hero' — for every home game, including game tickets for the service members.
- 10 soldiers were allowed to attend the Jets' 'Annual Kickoff Lunch' in New York City … to meet and take pictures with various members of the Jets organization for promotional use for recruiting purposes.
- National Guard members participated in the Jets' 'Hometown Huddle charity event to refurbish a community asset for promotional use for recruiting and retention purposes.
The Falcons were paid $1,049,500 between 2011 and 2014, according to data on NJ.com. The largest payments were made prior to each season.
Here’s what the 14 NFL teams were allegedly paid.
- Atlanta Falcons – $1,049,500
- Baltimore Ravens – $799,000
- Buffalo Bills – $679,000
- Indianapolis Colts – $620,000
- Minnesota Vikings – $605,000
- Green Bay Packers – $600,000
- New York Jets — $377,000
- Kansas City Chiefs – $250,000
- Cincinnati Bengals – $139,000
- Dallas Cowboys – $62,000
- St. Louis Rams – $60,000
- Pittsburgh Steelers – $36,000
- Cleveland Browns – $22,000
- Miami Dolphins – $20,000
When it comes to winning public dollars, the Falcons are tough to beat.
About the Author
George Mathis has worked in the AJC newsroom since 1999 in a variety of roles including editing local news, blogger and columnist.
