NFL: Nothing’s Free League

Pink: The color found all over the football field in the month of October. It’s the color that represents breast cancer awareness and the fight against it.

Red, White, and Blue: The colors of our country. Proudly presented before, during and after every NFL game. They’re the colors that the NFL flies while honoring our military.

Green: The color of cash, which the NFL rakes in by the billions.

First off, don’t let the title fool you; I’m just as big of a football fan as the next person, but news of the NFL’s repetitive actions of greed has been disappointing and in my opinion, a little heart wrenching.

Let’s start with the pink worn during October. Karuna Jaggar, executive producer of Breast Cancer Action, told HuffPost Live that none of the money generated from the pink apparel sold goes to breast cancer research. That October focuses on the “awareness” of the cancer, not the research. Jaggar said that there is “little to show for the billions and billions that the public is spending on paper and products and promotions.”

You would think that the NFL would dole out some of this revenue for the fight against this cancer, especially when little progress has been made against it. A study conducted by The National Cancer Institute revealed that the five-year survival rate for women from 2003 to 2007 increased by a single percentage.

The NFL says that at retail, 100% of proceeds from Pink October sales go to the American Cancer Society (ACS). What that really means is that the NFL’s royalty percentage from wholesales sales is what goes to ACS. So what you pay for from NFLshop.com or other stores is not what the NFL gives to ACS.

The NFL is projected to make $12 billion in 2015, a $1 billion increase from 2014. Since the NFL has partnered with ACS in 2008, the yearly average amount of money generated is $1.1 million. That’s under 0.1 percent of the league’s yearly revenue.

Those numbers make me think if going pink is just as much of a business move than a display of kindness. Yes, the NFL’s intentions are good. Any bit of donating is wonderful, but the difference between what the NFL makes and what they give to ACS is staggering. Plus, not a bit of the money given goes to research.

Moving on from Pink October, my next issue deals with the NFL and paid patriotism.

Senate investigators reported that over the past four years, the Department of Defense has spent more than $9 million on military tributes during sporting events. From “God Bless America,” to surprise military-family reunions, none of it is free. Even I was fooled, thinking that the NFL had the honor to take time away from games to give thanks to those who have risked their lives to protect us.

Now it isn’t just the NFL, but they are the main culprits. Out of the top ten highest-paid professional teams, eight of them were from the NFL. And yes, $9 million spent on these tributes is nothing compared to the military’s $600 billion budget, but it still however, is taxpayers’ dollars, which until now, none of us realized we were watching our own paid-for commercials.

Here’s an exert from the Senate’s report:

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…It is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayers funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism.

In the wake of the report, both the Pentagon and the NFL have looked to clean up the mess. In September, the Pentagon advised all branches not to fund any sports-related contracts. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said earlier this week, that the NFL intends to refund money that teams received for paid patriotism.

So what happens now? If our government shuts down all in-game marketing, what will we continue to see during games and what will be cut? Since the NFL is so stingy with every dollar spent, is there a chance that these iconic military tributes are pulled?

This brings me to the word “integrity.”

You hear that word used a lot by the NFL. After Tom Brady’s four game suspension was upheld, commission Rodger Goodell had this to say:

The integrity of the game is the most important thing…the integrity of the game is something we will always protect. The rules apply to everybody. That is my job in particular, to make sure everyone from our players to our coach, to our fans and our partners, that they all recognize we’re going to play by these sets of rules, and that’s part of our values and standards.

Then where is the integrity when handling Pink October and Paid Patriotism? I’ll tell you where.

The bank.