Patriotic propaganda

When it comes to cultural propaganda the U.S. government puts the former German Nazi regime to shame. Your government is interested in telling you what to think and it is willing to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to accomplish that goal.

In spite of the First Amendment Establishment Clause, for example, your government has long been on a mission to culturally promote the concept of a government God. That’s why, since 1954, public school children are subjected to the daily ritual of reciting in unison the Pledge of Allegiance to our so-called “nation under God.” It’s why our national motto was changed from “E Pluribus Unum” to “In God We Trust,” and why that government God propaganda appears today on every coin and bank note of U.S. currency.   

Now the U.S. government Department of Defense is spending $millions of our taxpayer dollars to professional sports teams for the purpose of honoring American soldiers. Your government is actually paying private organizations to propagandize the military. It amounts to “paid patriotism.” 

"When events take place on the field that anyone assumes ... is done out of the goodness of their heart, and find out that it is being paid for by the taxpayer, it kind of cheapens everything," explains Arizona Republican senator Jeff Flake. "It's just not right." 

According to a congressional report, since 2012, government contracts with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, and National Hockey League worth $6.8 million have included “displays of paid patriotism,” including paying for ceremonial first pitches, puck drops and color guard performances, among other events. 

The New York Jets franchise received $20,000 to honor “Hometown Heroes.” the Milwaukee Brewers got $49,000 to honor the Wisconsin National Guard and to sponsor Sunday performances of “God Bless America.” The Arizona Diamondbacks raked in $40,000 for on-field oath ceremonies and color-guard demonstrations.

Altogether, the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS, took in $53 million in taxpayer dollars for “paid patriotism” marketing and advertising contracts. These professional sports teams weren’t sponsoring and promoting the U.S. military out of a sense of personal patriotism. No, the government had to pay them to promote its pathetic program of patriotic propaganda.