The creeping obsession of MLSE with the Canadian armed forces is something that bothers me for a couple of reasons.
One, I think it is cheap public relations. It is one of the easiest things any corporation looking to deflect criticism can do; wrap themselves in the flag. Not that MLSE has done anything scandalous to deflect from (aside from arguably establishing a monopolistic stranglehold of sports and telecommunications in Southern Ontario), but, metaphorically, it never hurts to throw a symbolic yellow ribbon on your car bumper. Society tells us it is unpatriotic and ungrateful to criticize something that has tied itself to the troops, so associating yourself with them is a useful PR move. For example, Brian Burke deflecting criticism of his July 1 non-activity by citing his Afghanistan trip. Not that there is any connection, but any discussion of his efforts was conveniently stunted as soon as he mentions the troops.
Two, I don't think sport is the place for so much blatant and outright militaristic jingoism. It is why the Olympics (for all of its cynical commercialism and economic blood sucking) pushes the idea that sport unites the world, and that political hostilities ought to be put aside during athletic competition. It is why nations/continents that have actually had war on their doorstep (and in most cases, barge in the door and start smashing stuff up), don't play national anthems before games (i.e. European football teams). They realized long ago that mixing sports with politics and warfare isn't really a good idea. Conversely, those of us who live here on "Fortress North America" have never really had to learn that lesson. To us, warfare is something that happens elsewhere. It is heavily sanitized, so many of us view it as merely a token gesture, without giving much thought to what it really means to have the military seeping into so many facets of our daily lives..
Last week @MLSEPR was tweeting about the Toronto Maple Leafs' annual Christmas visit to Toronto Sick Kids Hospital. Obviously, visiting sick kids in hospital for Christmas is a GREAT gesture by the city's biggest stars. Kid's love sports, they idolize the players, and they are undoubtedly thrilled to see their heroes in person (bearing gifts nonetheless!).
What I didn't understand, was why Tom Anselmi needed to be flown onto the roof of the hospital in a military helicopter. I didn't understand why, instead of wearing the iconic blue and white of the Maple Leafs, Anselmi chose to wear a camouflage version of the Leafs' jersey. I don't understand why the entire endeavor needed to be wrapped in the "flag" of our military. These are children. Sick children (if the hospital name didn't convey the point). Christmas is one time of the year when they get to forget about their disease and enjoy all the trappings of being an innocent, wide eyed child. Do these children, laid up in a hospital bed, really understand the significance, or meaning of our armed forces? But more importantly, do they need to? What purpose does it serve? Why do these children, trying to enjoy their temporary respite from life in a hospital, need to be reminded of war, and the sacrifices our armed forces are making? Why can't they just be innocent, oblivious children, meeting Santa Claus and getting presents on Christmas?
Who was that military regalia really for? Was it for the kids, or was it for MLSE and their corporate image?
And now today, MLSE unveils the NBA's first military inspired uniforms. The lone Canadian franchise beat all 29 American teams to the punch in "honoring" our troops with a camouflage uniform.Of course, this "honour" that MLSE is bestowing on the troops, will have the ancillary effect of making MLSE money on jersey sales, and of course, if MLSE really wanted to show their appreciation for the troops they could fill the arena with free seats for Canadian military personnel (as opposed to the incredibly crass move of asking season ticket holders to "donate" their tickets to service men and women), but as I suspect, "honouring" the troops isn't really priority #1 here. As it is for any large corporation, money and "goodwill" for the brand are what really matters.
I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong, in and of itself, with the Raptors wearing a special camouflage uniform; this is nothing new to the Raptors. They have worn uniforms to honour other countries like Spain, Italy and Ireland; but taken as a whole, the endeavors of MLSE as a corporation to wrap themselves in the armed forces is becoming a bit much for somebody with even just a mild skepticism of militarism.
When the Winnipeg Jets returned to the NHL and wrapped themselves in the armed forces (and specifically the Royal Canadian Air Force) there were people who complained about the overt militarism of it all. I wasn't one of them. The Jets, and their association with the RCAF, was a completely logical and understandable connection. The pomp and circumstance that surrounded the uniform unveiling was all part and parcel with any team launching a new brand.
But I find the efforts of MLSE to involve the military in almost everything their teams do to be completely overboard. At best, its all just a braggadocios effort to show gratitude to the troops , at worst, it is a crass attempt to cash in on the public goodwill for the military while deflecting from the persistently terrible performances and overpriced tickets of their franchises.
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