Update on legislative attempts to prohibit military spending on sports sponsorships

10.Jul.2012

Thanks in part to tremendous response from FLW members nationwide, the House of Representatives Rules Committee has decided to allow a vote on the House floor to strip the Kingston-McCollum amendment from the 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill.

This is an important step in stopping the amendment that was originally approved by the House Appropriations Committee on May 17 and seeks to prohibit military spending on sponsorship of professional sports.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon, R-Calif., raised a point of order against the amendment in late June setting the stage for a vote on the House floor. McKeon is joined in opposition to the amendment by Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla.

Regarding sports sponsorships, Army National Guard Director Lt. Gen. William Ingram Jr. recently told a Senate panel: “The Army National Guard, because of the target audience that we’re looking at for our band of recruits, that is an interest. When they watch sports on television, they see the Army National Guard. It’s a national branding opportunity that is of great value.”

The National Guard receives tens of thousands of leads each year as a direct result of FLW’s promotion through social media, websites, television, print, tournaments and co-branding with other FLW partners. Additionally FLW provides the National Guard with retention and soldier recognition programs, including Soldier Appreciation Tournaments and the Wounded Hero Fishing project, that help ensure continued service by quality enlisted and officer personnel.

Contact your senators and representatives today. Keep up the pressure to strip the Kingston-McCollum amendment from the 2013 Defense Appropriations Bill.

Help ensure the highest quality all-volunteer military in the world by allowing recruiters to continue building rapport with potential recruits based on shared sporting interests and common experiences instead of relying solely on traditional media buys.

Thank you for your support.

– FLW