![]() ![]() There are 40 owners who have donated at least $100,000 to Republican causes over the six-year period, compared to 23 owners topping $100,000 to Democrats, helping lead to these splits: Of the 160 owners and commissioners in ESPN's database, 74 contributed a majority of their publicly searchable funds to Republican campaigns, with 48 donating a majority to Democrats and the rest sending most of their money to causes that aren't fully aligned with either party.īut while that overall summary is interesting, a more pronounced signal begins to emerge when we look more closely at this group's larger political donations. As political donors, these owners skew toward the GOP. The rarefied Americans who can afford those fees tend to skew older, whiter and more male. How athletes are working to create their own political changeĬontemporary sports ownership has become an exclusive club with entry fees that reach into eight- and nine-figure territory. How political perception differs from reality in American sports The three different reasons owners donate to politiciansĭark money and why owners hide their political spending And in the coming days, the series will delve into: Some of the biggest takeaways from the data are below. ![]() And, as is the case with many millionaires and billionaires, owners have a number of ways to hide their political spending. ![]() If a contribution appeared to be from an owner but could not be confirmed, it was not included. Spouses and relatives were not considered unless they also play a controlling role in the ownership group. Only current owners in each league and only their contributions while they have been involved with their franchises were included. The research includes more than 160 owners and commissioners spanning 125 teams, though no list of this kind can be completely comprehensive. Less than 6% of contributions went to bipartisan or unaffiliated recipients. A deep search in the Federal Election Commission database of campaign finances for principal owners, controlling owners, co-owners and commissioners from the NBA, NFL, NHL, WNBA, MLB and NASCAR reveals that this deep-pocketed group has sent $34.2 million (72.9%) to Republican campaigns or super PACs purely supporting Republican causes, compared to $10.1 million (21.5%) to Democrats over the past three elections. That strong Republican lean is consistent with owners' spending in the 20 federal elections as well. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĮlection 2020: Inside the political donation history of wealthy sports ownersĮditor's note: This is the first in a series of six pieces that shows how professional sports owners in America contribute to political campaigns, why they spend millions in the space and what that financial power means as athletes across sports continue to embrace activism of their own.Īmerican professional sports owners have contributed nearly $47 million in federal elections since 2015, according to research by ESPN in partnership with FiveThirtyEight, including $10 million to Republican causes and $1.9 million to Democratic causes so far in the 2020 election cycle. ![]()
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