How the Pentagon Paid for NFL Displays of Patriotism
In the past days of discussion over whether NFL players have the
right to protest racial inequality and systemic injustice in the United
States, few have brought up the fact that less than a decade ago, football players didn’t even appear on the field during the national anthem.
That all changed in 2009, as the Department of Defense poured millions
of dollars into the NFL in exchange for displays of patriotism during
games.
A massive show at a National Football League game in Cleveland in 2008, one year before the arrival of "paid patriotism." (Wikimedia Commons)
