Steve Kerr on Military Displays at Games: Sometimes Feels Like We're Patronized
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has mixed feelings toward seeing military displays prior to NBA games.
During an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area's Monte Poole (h/t Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin), Kerr explained how he believes the displays can be uplifting on some occasions and less inspirational on others:
"Sometimes, it's really inspiring. You see a mother and daughter or a father and son reconnected after a tour of duty, and everybody gets emotional. And sometimes it feels like we're being patronized. Like this is being used. We're just playing a sport here, and it feels sort of nationalistic, if that makes sense. So we are kind of wandering down a dicey path on this front."
Kerr also told Poole that he thinks the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks "spurred a strong military dynamic" at sporting events that continues to this day.
In 2015, Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake released a report that detailed how the Department of Defense had spent $6.8 million on what they called "displays of paid patriotism." McCain and Flake cited one example in which the New York Mets received $10,000 in taxpayer money for a pre-game military swearing-in ceremony on the field.
Military services had spent $53 million in total on sports marketing contracts. Of that number $10 million went to franchises in the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS.
The report listed eight NBA teams—the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics—that had received taxpayer money for shows of patriotism in partnership with the military.
