The Minnesota Wild were among the biggest recipients in recent years of U.S. Department of Defense contracts that included paid military tribute events before and during professional sports games, according to a new report.

The Vikings have also taken in hundreds of thousands of dollars from similar contracts, with the Lynx getting a smaller piece of the action, the report said.

The report, authored by U.S. Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake, both Republicans from Arizona, blasted what they termed "paid patriotism" events, saying the practice "betrays the sentiment and trust of fans" and sullies genuine displays of appreciation.

A Minnesota National Guard spokesman said that the deals -- which some teams and leagues are re-examining -- are part of comprehensive recruitment efforts and that teams have also showed strong unpaid support for military members apart from their contracts.

The practice came to light earlier this year. The Pentagon said sports marketing was an important recruiting tool but nixed paid tributes, saying they sent the wrong message.

McCain and Flake's report covered contracts involving paid tributes over the past four years. The lion's share went to the NFL -- the Atlanta Falcons led the way with $879,000, and nine of the top 10 recipients were football teams.

The lone exception: the Wild, to whom the report attributed the fourth-highest total for any individual team listed.

The team has received $570,000 in Minnesota Army National Guard contracts in recent years, the report said -- inclu$235,000 in 2012 and 2013, and another $100,000 in 2015.

Not all of that money necessarily went to paid tributes, the report acknowledged. Many teams are also paid by the military for things like traditional advertising and booth space. The report did not include a more detailed breakdown.

But the paid contracts included provisions for an on-ice appreciation ceremony for soldiers, recognition of a "soldier of the game" on the video board during every home game and the opportunity for a soldier to rappel from the arena catwalk to deliver the game puck, the report said.

In a statement, the Wild said the team has long supported military members and their families. Its current contracts with the National Guard "may not have clearly distinguished the promotion of recruiting efforts from moments of recognition."

The team "will clarify this point in the current contract with the National Guard, and look to continue our proud tradition of honoring and supporting our troops," the statement said.

Col. Kevin Olson, a Minnesota National Guard spokesman, said in a statement that the Guard's paid relationship with the Wild "has always been part of a coordinated, multi-faceted and deliberate effort" to ensure a well-staffed and prepared military.

He said that the Guard "also has a strong unpaid community relations association" with the team and that all of Minnesota's professional teams "have demonstrated that they are sincere in their support of our state's service members" and veterans.

Elsewhere in Minnesota, the Vikings got $375,000 -- $225,000 in 2012 and $150,000 in 2013 -- in recruitment deals with the National Guard that included solider recognition events and in-game exposure, according to the report.

The Vikings said that the Guard also paid for traditional advertising and that the team supports troops in myriad ways that go beyond the contracts. The team pointed to on-field tributes over the past few years when no contract was in place.

The NFL told teams in July to halt paid tributes, and Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a letter to McCain and Flake -- dated Tuesday and included in the report -- that the league is auditing its contracts with the military.

If it finds inappropriate payments, "they will be refunded in full," he said.

The Lynx also appeared in the report, which said the team had a $27,000 deal in 2014 that included a military night in which a number of soldiers were featured.

The report did not mention paid tributes during Twins and Timberwolves games.