Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Army should leave Knights alone

I read all the news concerning the Las Vegas NHL team and the Army’s complaint about its use of the Golden Knights name, including the Sun’s Jan. 23 article on the subject.

At first, I thought it was humorous if not ludicrous until I realized what the ramifications are. The Vegas Golden Knights are a private organization, financed by individual citizens. Even their home ice rink is a privately financed project, unlike the Raiders stadium.

The Vegas Golden Knights provide entertainment. The Army, if I’m not mistaken, exists to protect the United States against foreign and/or domestic enemies.

I don’t think the Golden Knights fit either category. However, the Army is spending money and resources to file a complaint about a hockey team’s name and logo. It may even go to court to validate its complaint.

Guess who pays for this pie-in-the-sky legal maneuver? If it’s the Golden Knights, it’s the private owners. If it’s the Army, it’s you and me, the taxpayers. If the Defense Department wants a budget increase, tell it to quit using taxpayer money for this kind of activity and concentrate on providing the personnel and equipment to protect us.