Over time, football has made great strides in solidifying itself as America’s most popular sport. Advertently or inadvertently, the league’s devotion to patriotic imagery, military pageantry, and even labeling the best college football players as ”All-Americans” work together to present an image of patriotism, in turn, bolstering support. Nonetheless, as of late there seems to be no shortage of controversy surrounding the National Football League (NFL) and patriotism. Whether it be the “paid patriotism”[1] exposed in 2015 or refusals to stand for the National Anthem, the NFL’s expressed dedication to patriotism seems consistently under fire. While concerns about the league’s true intentions seem relatively new, the roots of the its questionable patriotism extends back to the Vietnam War when they were accused of protecting their players during the military draft. However, regardless of the league’s real or perceived intentions regarding patriotism, denigrating the league as a whole undermines the individual athletes, league officials, and other associates who answered their country’s call during times of conflict and the league’s contributions to America’s wartime efforts.
Armed conflict during the early to mid-20th century wrought havoc on professional sports as World War I and World War II saw numerous young men plucked from their athletic careers for military service. Through volunteerism and conscription, America’s athletes were prime candidates for military service, though some, like Josh Gibson, would be exempt due to a myriad of sports related injuries. Nonetheless, with the military in dire need of personnel for these large-scale combat operations, exemptions were the exception rather than the rule. These wars saw the likes of Ty Cobb, Christy Matthewson, Joe Louis, Warren Spahn, Joe DiMaggio, Hobey Baker and Jack Dempsey serving as members of the armed forces. As evidenced, many of the greatest talents of their eras were not immune to the draft, though many of them willingly volunteered.
Military service had significant impacts on football at both the college and professional levels. As President Woodrow Wilson entered the United States into the First World War, the Provost Marshal General, Enoch Crowder, made it clear that every male, ages 18 to 45, had two choices: to work or fight.[2] Those considered idlers were the primary target of the draft, and according to Crawford, idlers were defined as the “unemployed, gamblers, clairvoyants… [as well as] ‘non-useful’ citizens like waiters, elevator operators, theater ushers, and domestic servants.”[3] It was uncertain how this would affect athletes, however, when the Secretary of War, Newton Baker, placed professional baseball players in the non-useful category, it did not take much stretch of the imagination that professional football players would follow suit.[4]
As was expected, they did, and while baseball ended its 1918 season just after Labor Day, the football season essentially ended as quickly as it began. While some teams were able to string together a couple of games, a lack of players coupled with meager attendance saw the season come to an abrupt halt shortly thereafter.[5] The decision to end the season prematurely was arguably the best decision they could have made. League management watched as the more-established professional baseball league struggled financially through their partial season. Therefore, they understood that an attempt by professional football would have likely “resulted in a financial catastrophe.”[6]
In the era of the NFL’s precursor, the American Professional Football Association, teams were largely made up of local talent. However, with the Selective Service board reeling in all able-bodied males, the supply of local players dried up causing the league to expand their searches for talent. This led teams to start recruiting players from out of state, and forced the league to migrate towards “a multi-state or national organization to regulate this recruitment.”[7] Thus, in 1920 the National Football League was formally established in Canton, Ohio.
When America entered World War II, the NFL understood the implications, and braced themselves for the Selective Service board looming on the horizon. As predicted, the board gutted the NFL’s ranks, and by May of 1942 had snatched up 32% of the league, leaving them with 234 out of the league’s 346 players.[8] The NFL ultimately supplied a total of 638 active players in support of the war effort.[9] Additionally, as college footballers graduated, they too were caught up in the military draft, making the NFL’s own draft extremely difficult.
Unlike the situation in World War I, the NFL did not cancel seasons during the Second World War. While traveling and player-pools were restricted, the league carried on with its season and many players played on multiple teams to supplement shortages. Some teams completely joined under one banner such as the 1943 “Steagles,” a complete merger between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles. Additionally, players worked forty-hour work weeks in defense plants to demonstrate their duty to country, while still practicing 18 hours per week.[10]
Players were not the only part of the professional football population who were impacted, as coaches, officials, trainers, and league officials were also subject to military service. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, there were 994 personnel from the NFL who served during the Second World War.[11] While the war did not kill the league as World War I had done, it certainly had an effect. The war claimed the lives of 21 active players, one ex-head coach, and one team executive.[12] However, the entire impact of the war in terms of career ending injuries or players coming back from military service beyond their prime seems uncertain. What is certain is that the league learned its lesson on the implications of armed conflict on professional football.
In addition to the players showing their patriotism through supporting the war effort, the league adopted its own form of patriotism. It was during the Second World War that the playing of the National Anthem became a mainstay at each event, a tradition that carries on to this day. The league also boasted the highest amount of relief charity by any organization, pulling in $680,000 over a span of 15 exhibition games, and did its part in the selling of war bonds which amounted to $4 million in 1942 alone.[13] Another significant contribution to the war effort came from an event held in Milwaukee hosted by Curly Lambeau, Cecil Isbell, and Don Hutson that generated $2.1 million in a single night.[14] However, with the country in such a state of uncertainty in the midst of the Cold War that followed, the league took a proactive stance to future selective service boards rather than simply waiting to react to another large scale conflict.
By the time America entered into the conflict in Vietnam, the NFL had figured out a way to mitigate the impact of selective service on the league. While some players were immune to conscription on account of injuries or standard exemptions, others needed a more strategic method to evade foreign wartime service. Teams invested a lot of money into their players, and felt they had to protect those investments. Nearly every team in the league had created a military affairs specialist position to pay special attention to, and handle, the military draft.[15]
It became common practice for teams to imbed their players into local National Guard and reserve units (Reserve Component). There, players could fulfill their military obligations while still maintaining their football careers. This was crucial for the players who lived in an era where football careers had an average life-span of five years.[16] Reserve Component (RC) organizations had a low likelihood of ever being activated, and served as a safe haven for players. However, the NFL were not the only ones aware of this loophole to avoid wartime service, thus, these RC units tended to have long waiting lists of non-combatant hopefuls.[17]
This was naturally met with disdain by ordinary citizens attempting to take the same route as they watched these athletes, fully capable of military service, being put in the front of the line while they must wait. Until sworn in, those waiting for acceptance into an RC unit had to sweat out their time waiting for the draft board results to be published. While most teams refused to discuss the issue, the evidence found by Life magazine’s Donald Jackson exposed this “clear pattern followed by teams in protecting their investments.”
Many guardsmen and reservist players were assigned to unit headquarters where they rubbed elbows with the command teams such as the case with the Maryland National Guard. The Baltimore Colts had an arrangement with the Maryland Guard that when a player had a military problem, the player was sent to swear in with the unit.[18] This was no secret and was even openly expressed by the Maryland National Guard commander, Major General George Gelston Jr.[19]
Another factor that gave players the upper hand in military draft considerations was injury. Many players came under scrutiny as they were found to be ineligible for the draft due to injuries. This fact perplexed people as they could not understand how someone could be a professional football player, yet unfit for military service, and labeled them draft dodgers.
Arguably the most prominent player in this category was the New York Jets’ “Broadway Joe” Namath. He had incurred a knee injury his senior year at the University of Alabama, and even with surgery, was told his knee would only last four years.[20] When he was selected for the military draft, he underwent three separate physical exams, and every doctor agreed that it would have been extremely difficult for him to have been a soldier in his condition.[21] In response to his critics, he offered that, as a player, he had the consistent attention of team physicians, and that while playing football, lives were not at stake.[22] His bottom line was that he “didn’t trust his knee, and [he] sure wouldn’t have trusted it out there in Vietnam.”[23]
Aside from the questionable draft evasions, the 1960’s and 70’s found athletes taking a more public stance on social issues. Many began standing up for civil rights, fighting against oppression, and beginning to question where their sports stood within the broader context of American culture. Historically, athletes were expected to conform to the social norms within their sport, and for the most part players abided by these social rules. However, as the New Left, counterculture, and the anti-war movements rose to prominence amongst American youth, athletes began to fight against what they considered establishment norms.[24]
The NFL’s lack of response to these attitudes reinforced in peoples’ minds that the league was “singularly disposed toward all things social, cultural, intellectual, and moral.”[25] Critics felt that the league “repressed individual growth, promoted racial and gender inequalities, and promoted the military and American imperialism.”[26] Some athletes felt that sports reinforced the “American One Way” meaning that it perpetuated the ideas of white, middle class suburbia, was partial to Christianity, and fed the consumerist mentality.[27]
Regardless of the backlash from the growing population of progressive Americans, the league continued to proclaim their support for the military as observed by their aforementioned fundraisers and charity donations, but also by sending players out to Vietnam for USO tours. Though, it seems reasonable to understand why the league was viewed as hypocritical as racial integration was marginal, it reinforced traditional standards, and shielded players from the draft.
While many players avoided foreign wartime service by jumping into reserve units or being found ineligible for the draft, there were others who did serve in the jungles of Vietnam. However, the number would pale in comparison to the First and Second World Wars. In all, 29 professional players and staff deployed throughout the Vietnam War, two of whom would pay the ultimate sacrifice: Bob Kalsu and Don Steinbrunner.[28] Three of these 29 went on to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame: Charlie Joiner, Ray Nitschke, and Roger Staubach.
Arguably deserving, though not enshrined in the Hall of Fame, former Steelers running back Rocky Bleier perhaps best exemplifies perseverance and the American spirit. Drafted by the Steelers in 1968, only to be subsequently drafted by the Army his rookie season, Bleier found himself in Vietnam. During a recovery operation, his unit was ambushed where he was shot through the thigh and suffered a grenade blast. Shrapnel from the grenade severely damaged his foot. In the aftermath, 25 of the unit’s 33 soldiers were wounded or dead.[29]
He was awarded the Purple Heart for his wounds, and was told he would never play football again. Bleier would not accept this fate and proved the doctors, and the world, wrong. He fully recovered from his injuries, returned to football, and was an integral part of the Steelers’ dominance in the 1970’s. Much of the success of the Steelers’ success has been attributed to Bleier, but most notably were his contributions to their four Super Bowl victories throughout the decade. Even his Hall of Fame teammate Franco Harris said that he is not sure that they would have won those Super Bowls without him.[30]
Don Steinbrunner had a short career in football, as he traded in his pads for a flight suit after his rookie season when he fulfilled his two-year obligation to the Air Force. After fulfilling his service commitments, he battled with a decision to return to the league, but opted to stay in the military. He was called to Vietnam in 1966 as a navigator on aerial missions, and though he was shot in the knee while on a flight mission, he felt he was better suited to serve than a “less-seasoned soldier.” This was a noble decision, but one that would ultimately cost him his life.
On July 20, 1967, Steinbrunner was running an aerial mission over Kontum, South Vietnam when his plane was shot down. There were no survivors. Steinbrunner posthumously received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart for his actions that day. The citation on his Distinguished Flying Cross indicated that he was fearless and in the face of danger, acted courageously, heroic, and possessed a selfless devotion to duty.[31]
The Dallas Cowboys’ Hall of Fame quarterback, and two-time Super Bowl champion Roger Staubach is a cultural icon due to his football prominence. He appreciates the fact that he has fans who adore him and the teams he led; however, he admits that what is more important to him is when he is recognized for his service to his country.[32] He said that being revered for his athletic performances and contributions does not give him quite the same feeling as when someone acknowledges his service to his country.[33]
Vietnam saw the last of military conscription in the United States, thus putting to rest the fears that the league would have to protect its players. However, following the attacks on September 11, 2001, one man decided to trade in his cleats for a rifle when the Arizona Cardinals’ Pat Tillman joined the Army. Turning down a lucrative contract, Tillman entered the military making his way through Ranger School, but was unfortunately killed while deployed to Afghanistan, though the circumstance surrounding his death are still steeped in controversy.
These are but a few of the countless exploits by football players while serving their country. The contributions by members of the league, the amount of money raised by the league for war efforts, the numerous community outreach programs, the NFL’s Salute to Service military appreciation platform, and many more programs serve as a testament to the league’s support of their country and communities. It has by no means been perfect as demonstrated in the draft dodging practices, and the paid patriotism accusations are certainly concerning, but should not take away from the overwhelming contributions of the league and its players to the nation.
In a country predicated on the ideas of freedom and individuality, it does not take much imagination to understand why the NFL has come under scrutiny in terms of the league’s relationship to patriotism. The league protected its investment at the cost of the rest of America’s youth during Vietnam, it demands a certain level of conformity of its players, and it has had a complicated history in terms of race relations which all challenge the league’s embodiment of America’s core values. However, to denounce the league as unpatriotic only serves to undermine the individuals within the broader context of the league who answered their country’s call in times of war, not to mention the league’s financial contributions. Some gave up the rest of their careers, some gave up millions of dollars, while others paid the ultimate sacrifice. Calling the league unpatriotic only serves as an insult to the individuals who honorably served their country.
Bibliography
“American Professional Football Association.” Ohio History Central. Accessed October 2, 2019. https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/American_Professional_Football_Association.
Archer, Todd. “Military Service Means More to Roger Staubach than Playing Career.” ESPN. November 11, 2016. https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4755561/service-means-more-to-roger-staubach-than-playing-career.
Crepeau, Richard C. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime. Baltimore: University of Illinois Press, 2014. Accessed October 2, 2019. ProQuest Ebook Central.
“Football and America: The Vietnam War Honor Roll,” Pro Football Hall of Fame
“Football and America: WWII Honor Roll.” Pro Football Hall of Fame. Accessed October 2, 2019. https://www.profootballhof.com/news/football-and-america-ww-ii-honor-roll/.
Haerens, Margaret. The National Anthem Protests. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2019.
Jackson, Donald. “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity.” Life. December 9, 1966. https://books.google.com/books?id=BlMEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA44&vq=%E2%80%9CBald%20Case%20in%20Point%3A%20Pro%20Football%E2%80%99s%20Magical%20Immunity.%E2%80%9D&dq=life%20magazine%20dec.%209%201966&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false.
King, Peter. “Nothing was Guaranteed.” Sports Illustrated. July 20, 2013. https://www.si.com/2013/07/20/joe-namath-3q.
Linden, Andrew, Jaime Schultz, Mark Dyreson, R Kretchmar, Stephen Piazza, and Jessica
Schultz. Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2016. http://search.proquest.com/docview/2205740926/.
Maltby, Marc S. The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920. Order No. 8806599, Ohio University, 1987, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/303595599?accountid=8289.
Reedy, Joe. “ESPN Documentary shows Rocky Bleier’s Emotional Return to Vietnam.” Post Crescent. August 17, 2019. https://www.postcrescent.com/story/sports/2019/08/17/espn-documentary-rocky-bleier-shows-his-emotional-return-vietnam/2043376001/.
Notes
[1] Margaret Haerens, The National Anthem Protests, (Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2019), 3.
[2] Marc S. Maltby, The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920, Order No. 8806599. (Ohio University, 1987), 281, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/303595599?accountid=8289.
[3] Marc S. Maltby, The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920, 281.
[4] Marc S. Maltby, The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920.
[5] Marc S. Maltby, The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920.
[6] Marc S. Maltby, The Origins and Early Development of Professional Football, 1890-1920.
[7] “American Professional Football Association,” Ohio History Central, accessed October 2, 2019, https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/American_Professional_Football_Association.
[8] Richard C. Crepeau. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime. (Baltimore: University of Illinois Press, 2014), 31, accessed October 2, 2019, ProQuest Ebook Central.
[9] Richard C. Crepeau. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime.
[10] Richard C. Crepeau. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime.
[11] “Football and America: WWII Honor Roll,” Pro Football Hall of Fame, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.profootballhof.com/news/football-and-america-ww-ii-honor-roll/.
[12] “The National Football League’s World War II Casualties,” Pro Football Hall of Fame, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.profootballhof.com/footballs-wartime-heroes/.
[13] Richard C. Crepeau. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime, 31.
[14] Richard C. Crepeau. NFL Football: A History of America's New National Pastime.
[15] Donald Jackson, “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity,” Life, December 9, 1966, 44.
[16] Donald Jackson, “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity.”
[17] Donald Jackson, “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity.”
[18] Donald Jackson, “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity, 44.
[19] Donald Jackson, “Bald Case in Point: Pro Football’s Magical Immunity.
[20] Peter King, “Nothing was Guaranteed,” Sports Illustrated, July 20, 2013, https://www.si.com/2013/07/20/joe-namath-3q.
[21] Peter King, “Nothing was Guaranteed.”
[22] Peter King, “Nothing was Guaranteed.”
[23] Peter King, “Nothing was Guaranteed.”
[24] Andrew Linden, et al., Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979, 83, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 2016. http://search.proquest.com/docview/2205740926/.
[25] Andrew Linden, et al., Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979.
[26] [26] Andrew Linden, et al., Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979.
[27] [27] Andrew Linden, et al., Political Football: Social Movements and the Professional Gridiron in the United States, 1955-1979.
[28] “Football and America: The Vietnam War Honor Roll,” Pro Football Hall of Fame, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.profootballhof.com/connect/the-vietnam-war-honor-roll/.
[29] Joe Reedy, “ESPN Documentary shows Rocky Bleier’s Emotional Return to Vietnam,” Post Crescent, August 17, 2019, https://www.postcrescent.com/story/sports/2019/08/17/espn-documentary-rocky-bleier-shows-his-emotional-return-vietnam/2043376001/.
[30] Joe Reedy, “ESPN Documentary shows Rocky Bleier’s Emotional Return to Vietnam.”
[31] “Football and America: The Vietnam War Honor Roll,” Pro Football Hall of Fame, accessed October 2, 2019, https://www.profootballhof.com/connect/the-vietnam-war-honor-roll/.
[32] Todd Archer, “Military Service Means More to Roger Staubach than Playing Career,” ESPN, November 11, 2016, https://www.espn.com/blog/dallas-cowboys/post/_/id/4755561/service-means-more-to-roger-staubach-than-playing-career.
[33] Todd Archer, “Military Service Means More to Roger Staubach than Playing Career.”
Thanks, Jason! I wrote this for my last college class. It was a great research topic, and one that is steeped in controversy. I got a kick out of the Steagles too! Thanks for stopping by, and the thoughtful commentary!
Wow, what a great read Chris. So well written and informative. I'm pretty much a baseball only guy so almost all of this was new learning for me, Tillman being the lone exception. And while I know it's not really the important takeaway from the article, I can't help but laugh at the Steagles - so much so that I'm certain I'll retain that piece of information without any effort. Great job!