According to the report, the Department of Defense spent $53 million on marketing and advertising contracts with teams in the five major professional sports leagues, over the four years from 2012-2015. While the National Football League received much of the money, there were also payments made to teams in MLB, the NBA, NHL, and MLS - I guess the WNBA wasn't deemed worth funding. These paid tributes, says the report, "included on-field color guard, enlistment and reenlistment ceremonies, performances of the national anthem, full-field flag details, ceremonial first pitches and puck drops." While acknowledging some spending is legitimate, McCain and Flake say
It is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayer funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism.