Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for his illustrious career in professional wrestling and his success in blockbuster films, recently found himself in an unexpected controversy. Despite his massive popularity and widespread influence, his collaboration with the US Army has been deemed a significant failure.
The New York Post writes that the famous wrestler and blockbuster-making actor had a major flop in an effort to recruit for the United States Army.
Legendary pro wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s $11 million partnership with the US Army was so disastrous that it appears to have actually hindered recruitment efforts for the military branch, according to a report.
The Army is now trying to recoup its money after claiming “The Rock” didn’t hold up his end of the deal by sharing an agreed-upon number of social media posts during the United Football League season, Military.com reported.
The Army declared the relationship as a net negative — with an evaluation projecting that it led to a loss of 38 enlistments as resources tied up in the deal could have potentially been used elsewhere with a more advantageous recruitment outcome, according to an internal review of the plan obtained by the outlet.
The military branch inked a contract with Johnson, a UFL co-owner, earlier this year that would see prominent Army branding on player uniforms and during games, while Johnson acted as a de facto spokesperson for the Army on social media.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for his illustrious career in professional wrestling and his success in blockbuster films, recently found himself in an unexpected controversy. Despite his massive popularity and widespread influence, his collaboration with the US Army has been deemed a significant failure.
The situation highlights a broader issue within military recruitment efforts. The Daily Caller has reported that communications officers for each military branch have cited various reasons for the recruitment shortfall.
“For example, only 23% of 17-to-24-year-old Americans meet the minimum physical and academic standards for joining without a waiver and even fewer — about 10% — express a desire to join, according to an Army press release. The civilian job market may present more attractive opportunities with better benefits, while fewer members of the younger generation are familiar with the military at all, officials say.
Young Americans are also losing trust in institutions in general, including the U.S. military, the Army has said.
In a 2022 survey the Army commissioned, young people cited safety concerns and the stress of Army life as inhibitors to enlisting and also said they didn’t want to steal time away from pursuing other careers.”
The Army told outlets that they still think Johnson is a good ambassador for recruiting and are working with the UFL to even out the contract.
In April, The Rock made news when he declined to endorse Joe Biden for president after having endorsed Democrats in previous years.
Wasn’t the Rock the guy who caved to Chinese Communist pressure, even issued an apology for his “offensive” patriotic role in one of his movies? And young men are supposed to look up to such an example and want to join the Army because of him???
NOT Gung Ho enough right Rock