Those “soldier salutes” you see during an NFL game are bought and paid for by the taxpayer through the military.
The Department of Defense paid 14 NFL teams $5.4 million from 2011 to 2014 for salutes like the Hometown Heroes segment and other advertising at professional football games. All but $100,000 of that money came from the National Guard.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...ldier-salutes/