Brewers were paid by Dept. of Defense for "God Bless America" performances on Sundays

[bjkrautk]

http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2015/11/04/the-milwaukee-brewers-were-paid-by-the-military-for-god-bless-america-performances/

 

Per the report, the Brewers received the 3rd highest payout in MLB from DoD for events and promotions (but only about 20% of what the Braves were receiving).

 

 

Reminder that this is an apolitical site, before anyone breaks that rule.

 

Suffice to say, if Adam West's vocal doppelganger returns in 2016, it probably won't be at the same price tag.

[1992casey]

Reminder that this is an apolitical site, before anyone breaks that rule.

 

I'll repeat that. Let's stay within the rules.

 

It's definitely an interesting topic, though. Some of the money is for expenses, which shouldn't be a surprise. And I suppose that paying for sponsorships isn't surprising either. I guess it's not a whole lot different than the cancer thing on Fridays that's an obvious commercial for Froedtert.

[Invader3K]

The military uses sporting events to market and recruit. I'm not sure why anyone is really shocked by any of this.

[3and2Fastball]

I'm happy to see the Brewers bringing in extra income. As a Small Market team the extra $$$ can really help them compete. I see this as a good thing from a Baseball operational standpoint.

 

Interesting subject though, that I wasn't aware of.

[AKCheesehead]

Per the article, the Brewers received $80k. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal for anyone involved.

[jerichoholicninja]

I don't understand how the military gets anything in return from this. Nothing from what I can remember about God Bless America has anything military about it. The DOD might as well be paying teams for singing the Star Spangled Banner before games as that at least occasionally has a service person singing it.

[AdvantageSchneider]

I haven't been to a Sunday game in a while. Do they still sing GBA as part of the 7th inning stretch? Will it stop now that they aren't going to be paid anymore?

[trwi7]

I don't understand how the military gets anything in return from this. Nothing from what I can remember about God Bless America has anything military about it.

 

There has to be subliminal messages somewhere.

 

[1992casey]

I don't understand how the military gets anything in return from this. Nothing from what I can remember about God Bless America has anything military about it. The DOD might as well be paying teams for singing the Star Spangled Banner before games as that at least occasionally has a service person singing it.

When God Bless America is sung, is there some kind of mention of the Wisconsin Air National Guard on either the scoreboard or PA?

 

More generally, the military gets publicity in much the same way that they do when they put commercials on TV.

 

AdvantageSchneider, I haven't been to a Sunday game in a long time either, but God Bless America is generally shown on TV during the Sunday broadcasts.

 

Did I miss something? I didn't see anything saying that DOD sponsorships would stop. Without having read the actual document (PDF), I get the impression that the two Arizona senators are concerned that this might not be an effective way to spend money.

[AdvantageSchneider]

I don't understand how the military gets anything in return from this. Nothing from what I can remember about God Bless America has anything military about it. The DOD might as well be paying teams for singing the Star Spangled Banner before games as that at least occasionally has a service person singing it.

When God Bless America is sung, is there some kind of mention of the Wisconsin Air National Guard on either the scoreboard or PA?

 

More generally, the military gets publicity in much the same way that they do when they put commercials on TV.

 

AdvantageSchneider, I haven't been to a Sunday game in a long time either, but God Bless America is generally shown on TV during the Sunday broadcasts.

 

Did I miss something? I didn't see anything saying that DOD sponsorships would stop. Without having read the actual document (PDF), I get the impression that the two Arizona senators are concerned that this might not be an effective way to spend money.

 

Earlier this year, the senators successfully amended the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 to prohibit the Department of Defense from spending taxpayer dollars on these deceitful practices, and to call on professional sports organizations that have accepted taxpayer funds in exchange for military tributes to donate those profits to organizations supporting U.S. armed forces, veterans, and their families.

 

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/industry-press-room/senators-expose-paid-patriotism-at-pro-sports-in-new-government-report.html

 

So yeah for ending wasteful spending, boo if I still have to put up with GBA during the 7th inning stretch. Hope that goes away too.

[Outlander]

They still do GBA before the 7th inning stretch. I believe they have been doing it since 2002 so doubt they stop now.

[RightFieldCoder]

I would be happy if they stop the GBA. One the one hand MLB makes a big deal about shaving 5-15 min off the game time (including watching a video before the game to boast about it). On the other hand they will let an entity pay them to lengthen game time by a minute or two.

[patrickgpe]

they also get $ steam fit unions from to honor a vet of the game, not sure what the big deal is. I do wish that the brewers did it just because, but I don't think its a big deal.

[JohnBriggs12]

Per the article, the Brewers received $80k. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal for anyone involved.

 

The money is taxpayer money and the U.S. government has an $18 trillion debt. It should not be spending it stealthily on patriotic displays. That's the big deal. Can't blame the Brewers for taking it, but the I certainly don't want my tax dollars wasted like that.

[patrickgpe]

80K is a very small piece of the pie when the debt is that high. i want to keep this apolitical.

 

Its like bill gates dropping a nickel on ground.

 

Is it a waste a tax payer money? maybe

is it a big deal? i can't say it is.

[MadScientist]

Per the article, the Brewers received $80k. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal for anyone involved.

 

The money is taxpayer money and the U.S. government has an $18 trillion debt. It should not be spending it stealthily on patriotic displays. That's the big deal. Can't blame the Brewers for taking it, but the I certainly don't want my tax dollars wasted like that.

 

The military has a pretty big advertising budget, so the cost is less of an issue. The fact that the 'patriotic activities' were paid for cheapens the message. The specific sponsoring of GBA has other problems, beyond the scope of this board.

 

Now that the practice is ending, will the various shout-outs to the military continue or not? I'm guessing some will still happen, but not as frequently as in the past.

[JimH5]

I don't like my patriotism put up for sale. And I don't like love of country being just another thing to do, like guess the prices of these groceries at Sentry.

[LouisEly]

Per the article, the Brewers received $80k. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal for anyone involved.

+100

 

If this is for military recruitment, and that money is simply moved from other recruiting channels and net recruiting expenditures are unchanged, then this is much ado about nothing. If this type of military recruitment is more efficient than other methods (say, TV advertising) causing a net decrease in recruiting expenditures, then it is a benefit to taxpayers. This, like everything, should not be looked at in a vacuum.

 

Let's also remember that the Brewers own Jonathan Lucroy does a heck of a lot for armed forces veterans and personnel while wearing the Brewers uniform.

[hawing]

Suffice to say, if Adam West's vocal doppelganger returns in 2016, it probably won't be at the same price tag.

THANK YOU for making the Adam West connection that enters my mind EVERY TIME I heard Bob Koslowski of the Brewers' guest relations department sing God Bless America. We have a Sunday ticket package, so we've heard it a lot.

During the rest of each game, you can find Bob in the field level guest relations booth.

 

Anyway, I will be interested to see if they continue GBA without the $$. I'd guess the "Veterans in Piping" sponsorship can continue since it's not funded by the feds.

[jerichoholicninja]

I've always been surprised that the Freedom From Religion Foundation hasn't made a stink about God Bless America being played at games. Maybe they will now that it's known that the government is paying for it.

[1992casey]

I've read some of the report, which is 140 pages long.

 

One objection is "paid patriotism." The report says, "By paying for such heartwarming displays like recognition of wounded warriors, surprise homecomings, and on-field enlistment ceremonies, these displays lost their luster. Unsuspecting audience members became the subjects of paid-marketing campaigns rather than simply bearing witness to teams’ authentic, voluntary shows of support for the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform. This not only betrays the sentiment and trust of fans, but casts an unfortunate shadow over the genuine patriotic partnerships that do so much for our troops, such as the National Football League’s Salute to the Service campaign."

 

This doesn't mean that the senators are objecting to all government sponsored activities. The report states, "To be fair, some of what was contracted appears to be legitimate marketing and advertising activities for which we would expect DOD to compensate these teams, such as stadium signs, social media mentions, and booth space for recruiters at games."

 

Another issue is that according to the report, the Department of Defense is having trouble accounting for exactly what contracts exist and exactly what amount of money is being spent.

 

At this point, the report states that the "DOD has banned paid patriotism and the NFL has called on all clubs to stop accepting payment for patriotic salutes." "NFL has called on all clubs" means that the league is conducting an audit, which likely means a gradual reduction rather than an immediate stop. Nothing seems to be mentioned about action being taken by other sports at this time, but that doesn't mean that no action is being taken.

 

In short, this appears to be a gradual process rather than something that will change immediately. Given that the NFL is in the midst of its season, I would think that we'll continue to see some "paid patriotism" over the course of the rest of the season. MLB, on the other hand, has a few months to address this.

 

Broadening this situation to the general subject of audiences being "subjects of paid-marketing campaigns," this is something that goes well beyond the paid patriotism issue. I mentioned the Froedtert cancer survivors thing above. Years ago, we saw the "Bill's Grill" segment on TV pregame shows. And more recently, we've seen the Craig Coshun "interviews" with doctors. In the private sector, however, I wouldn't expect the situation of being the subject of marketing campaigns, whether the audience realizes it or not, to change anytime soon.

[bjkrautk]

Mark Belling is talking about the McCain/Flake report now, having spoken to the Brewers organization.

 

The $80k paid by the Nat'l. Guard was for the Khris Davis bobblehead sponsorship, which was a recruitment promotion for the military. The Air National Guard spread the cost out over the various benefits which went along with their sponsorship (mention during God Bless America, a 1st pitch ceremony, etc).

 

That makes a fair bit more sense to me, since the Brewers have been playing God Bless America on Sundays for over a decade (since just after 9/11, if memory serves).

[1992casey]

Did the Davis bobbles have "Air National Guard" printed on either the bobble or the box? If it was, I think you'd probably have a legitimate expenditure, kind of like putting a sign in the park.

[Jirsch]

Heres a picture of the bobblehead for those interested:

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTYwMFgxMjAw/z/e8sAAOSwHnFVq~7I/$_1.JPG

[torts]

Per the article, the Brewers received $80k. I guess I just don't see it as a big deal for anyone involved.

 

The money is taxpayer money and the U.S. government has an $18 trillion debt. It should not be spending it stealthily on patriotic displays. That's the big deal. Can't blame the Brewers for taking it, but the I certainly don't want my tax dollars wasted like that.

 

80,000 of 18,000,000,000,000 is such a microscopic dent in the national debt...there are far more costly DoD expenditures that make up our debt you could be upset over lol