EARTH CITY, Mo. -- On Monday, ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell reported that the United States Department of Defense paid $5.4 million for sponsorship deals with 14 NFL teams from 2011-2014.
Count the St. Louis Rams among the teams to take part in such deals. According to usaspending.gov, the Rams had a contract with the National Guard which paid them a sum of $60,000 for a contract during the 2014 season. The website categorized the deal as falling under a fairly generic advertising service.
National Guard spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt told Rovell on Monday that the deals were intended to help reach a targeted audience for recruiting purposes.
"This isn't, as some might think, payment for unfurling a flag or to welcome a soldier home on the field," Breitenfeldt told Rovell. "This is more about spending for marketing and advertising, for signage, for website takeovers."
According to the usaspending site, 2014 was the only year in the 2011-2014 timeframe in which the Rams received such a payment. The extent of what the Rams offered in the contract is unclear though they have had the National Guard as a sponsor in the past for their high school football game of the week and other sponsorships related to their high school football endeavors.
The Rams came in on the low end of teams receiving money in such deals, with only Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Miami getting less than their $60,000. According to the records, the Atlanta Falcons received the most money since 2011, checking in at $1,049,500.
Senator Jeff Flake, R-Ariz, raised questions about the spending in the aforementioned Rovell story and is seeking to find out the amount spent since 2009 as well as estimated returns on investment.
Regardless of the money changing hands, the Rams have long been involved in honoring local military either through recognition at games for soldiers, invitations to attend practices and games, or various other means of outreach. Coach Jeff Fisher, in particular, has been a big proponent of establishing a relationship with the military.
Fisher counts the Wounded Warriors among his favored charitable properties and includes them as one of the beneficiaries of his annual softball game. He's also consistently hosted local military at Veteran's Day practices and held a practice each year at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois in which a team of airmen and women get to participate in a walkthrough with the team.