HumanCockroach wrote:Sorry I simply don't see a problem with the NFL "charging" for advertising a product. Don't kid yourselves guys, this is zero different than an army ad on CBS or Fox. All businesses that advertise are going to "charge" to promote your product or company, the way It's always been, and the way it will always be.
I can somewhat understand a vet being surprised by it, but offended? Why. They grew up in this country right? They should know how the country works by now I would think.
There's a huge difference between a commercial ad and a tribute or ceremony as displayed at NFL games. When CBS or Fox runs an ad for the Army or Navy, you don't see them coming on during the ad and saying stuff like
"Fox invites you to join us in honoring our brave men and women.." and so on like the Seahawks do at a pregame or halftime ceremony. There is no apparent, visible connection between the network selling the ad and the customer that's buying the airtime.
On the other hand, at pregame and halftime ceremonies, the Seahawks do everything but wrap themselves in the American flag, creating an inseparable link between them and the military. They are
ALWAYS prefaced with something about them and/or the NFL paying some sort of homage to the cause, to
"join us in honoring our brave men and women", just like they do with breast cancer awareness, stop domestic violence, the United Way, etc, intentionally giving fans the impression that it's being done to show everyone that they are this great and honorable corporate citizen giving back to our country by supporting our troops. I've been to scores if not hundreds of NFL, NBA, and MLB games and I've always been under the impression that the tributes were being done as a community service and that they were just being gracious hosts and patriotic citizens without receiving any form of compensation, expenses or otherwise.
Let me put it this way: Are you like me and are under the impression that for the past 3+ years of weekly visits to Children's Hospital that Russell Wilson has been donating his time and not getting anything in return except perhaps a free meal and his parking ticket paid for by hospital? Suppose it was revealed that after all these years, that he was receiving $5,000 per visit paid for directly by Children's. Would you feel like you were being lied to?