You are comparing apples to bowling balls Mike.
There is an extremely finite number of people who have the ability to perform at the professional level in sports. Sports are entertainment, funded by companies involved in entertainment. With the exception of funding subsidies for sporting structures and venues in some markets, all of the money generated to pay athletes is market driven, not government driven. The decisions made on who makes what are made in the company boardrooms based on market forces, and deep-pocketed team owners.
Our military is taxpayer funded. Proper training and desire to serve our country are what it takes to make the best military on the planet what it is, and the pool of people who can and do contribute isn't limited by some unusual physical ability to perform acts that most people can't. Of course there are specialized units in our military that approach or surpass the levels of physical performance that are required for pro sports, the specialization is still diverse enough to open the pool to more candidates.
Enlisted men and women in our military are sometimes in a tough financial position. The majority of that time is during training and early service, not unlike any other job. And I think if you'd research the real numbers as to how many of our service people are also on subsidies, you'd find it to be a small number of very young families.
I see, during the current election process, many members of one party pointing to an economy that is running a deficit, yet the money flowing to the treasury is at record highs. The reason for the deficit is military spending on the war. That same party has a record of voting to cut military spending every chance they've gotten over the last 40 years. Ask them why.
Bob
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