Should taxpayers pay for military ads during Seahawks, Sounders games?

Don’t be surprised if the Seahawks and Sounders do something to honor the military on Veteran’s Day. But you also shouldn’t be shocked to find out that you’re the one paying for that display of appreciation.

The idea of “paying for patriotism” sprouted up when a Senate report that listed the Seahawks and Sounders among the 50 sports franchises from the MLS, NBA, and NFL that accepted taxpayer money to host patriotic displays that honor American soldiers.

The Seahawks contracted with the Washington Army National Guard, with the team being paid $453,500 over three seasons to hold tax-payer funded displays that included enlistment ceremonies at CenturyLink Field, player appearances for recruits and a sponsored high school coach recognition program. The Army National Guard also paid the Sounders $128,000 for recognition and displays at 19 home games in 2012, 2013, and 2015.

Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake authored the report, taking issue with the fact that the average fan thinks teams are “doing this on behalf of the military,” and described some of the spending as “inappropriate frivolous.”

“Americans deserve the ability to assume that tributes for our men and women in military uniform are genuine displays of national pride, which many are, rather than taxpayer-funded DOD marketing gimmicks,” the senators wrote.

KIRO Radio’s Jason Rantz, who is also host of Sounders FC Weekly, said he doesn’t believe Seattle’s sports teams should be embarrassed about taking money for what are essentially ads.

“What am I missing here because I hear this story and I’m not at all concerned,” said Rantz. “I’m not outraged, I don’t get it. This whole paid patriotism thing, what does that even mean?”

Rantz believes the DOD is pushing recruitment with these marketing tactics and reminding people how patriotic it is to be in the military.

“They wanted that message in front of a lot of people and they paid for it,” Rantz said. “This is somehow obscene, this is somehow outrageous. I don’t understand. It’s not patriotic to give away advertising for free.”

Rantz added that the Seahawks and Sounders give back to the area military communities for free all the time.

“They are doing it because they actually care about the military, they care about veterans,” he said. “But they are also making money off of this from the DOD because it was offered.”