The Pentagon has pulled the plug on military participation in the NFL’s “Salute to Service” events this weekend, citing the ongoing government shutdown as the culprit.
According to Fox News, without funding from its frozen budget, the Department of Defense has canceled all military-related activities at NFL games, stripping away traditional flyovers, on-field flag ceremonies, and service member appearances.
This decision affects games across the league just as Americans prepare to recognize our military heroes through one of the NFL’s most visible annual tributes, leaving stadiums without the usual patriotic fanfare.
Shutdown Freezes Pentagon-Backed Traditions
The shutdown began on October 1 and is now officially the longest in American history, freezing key government operations — and yes, that includes the Pentagon’s support for NFL events.
The Defense Department typically bankrolls these displays through its annual operational budget, but with funds paralyzed, even something as non-controversial as a flag-honoring ceremony gets axed. So this weekend, fans can expect twelve NFL games in the United States and one in Berlin — but they won’t see jets overhead or uniformed troops unfurling massive American flags on the field.
NFL Will Still Proceed With Tribute Efforts
Despite the absence of military personnel, the NFL insists that its salute will go on. Players and coaches will still don camo-themed attire, and teams will engage in substitute tributes.
Anna Isaacson, the league’s senior vice president of social responsibility, noted that the NFL’s support for the armed forces isn’t just seasonal. “While Salute to Service comes to life on-field each November — as it will again this year, starting this weekend — our long-standing efforts to support the military community continue throughout the year,” she said.
That's fine talk, but let’s not forget that the ceremony matters – and flyovers and color guards are more than theatrics. They’re the rare public displays where cultural pride is still allowed, if not encouraged.
Frustration Amid Symbolic Absence
The NFL’s “Salute to Service” began back in 2011 and quickly became a unifying spectacle. In these times of divided politics, it remains one of the few cultural touchstones with broad support. To see it hobbled by budget dysfunction is insulting to taxpayers and the troops themselves. These are the people asked to lay down their lives, yet honoring them can't get a budget line item cleared?
Official word of the Pentagon's cancellation was first reported by the Washington Post, though fans likely noticed the difference when the Denver Broncos beat the Las Vegas Raiders Thursday night without the usual patriotic pageantry.
A Missed Opportunity For Unity
While the shutdown drags on in Washington, everyday Americans just want to show respect for the men and women who serve. Something as simple as a stadium salute should be above politics, but here we are.
This administration’s failure to keep basic government functions funded has now extended to sidelining service members from public appreciation, at the very moment they were supposed to be honored. There’s nothing controversial about supporting the military. But apparently, even that gesture isn’t sacred when the gears of government grind to a halt.
Games Go On, But Something’s Missing
Even overseas, the NFL presses on — the Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts are set to square off in Berlin, taking the league’s reach global. But the absence of even a symbolic military presence will be felt just as strongly abroad.
Honor guards and flag presentations may not impact the scoreboard, but they signal to fans and families that what we stand for still matters. As twelve major NFL games unfold between Sunday and Monday, fans will stand and cheer, but the silence overhead and the empty corners of the end zones will speak volumes.
