Politics and sports. Inevitably the two collide, and during this election year, sports and specifically owners have a major say in how the election turns out.
Reportedly, owners are anonymously donating to Donald Trump’s campaign. At a gathering this fall, one owner admitted to donating to Trump privately. His ‘under-the-table’ donations sought to avoid ridicule from fans and players.
The NBA has a reputation as a progressive and arguably Democratic league. Understandably, many of its fans have similar political views. Most notably, the league faced both support and backlash for putting “BLM” logos on the courts in the Orlando bubble.
One owner anonymously said, “I’m worried about Biden’s regulations, so I’m funding as much as I can privately and confidentially to get Trump reelected. I know he’s crazy, and I hope Democrats take the House and the Senate, but then Trump can block stuff and protect us on the taxes and regulation.”
Understandably, the owners’ concerns lie in Biden’s promises to tax the rich, a common theme amongst left-leaning politicians. As expected, they, along with other business owners, are projected to vote Republican this November.
To clarify, the source present at the function said that a fair amount of owners admitted to these ‘secret’ donations to avoid public backlash. The source went on to say, “The overwhelming majority of sports team owners are Republicans. And they are very concerned about taxes, obviously, and regulation for their businesses.”
Teams’ revenue already took hits as COVID-19 cut the regular season short. 8 teams who failed to make the bubble took the worst losses as they couldn’t benefit from a playoff run of any kind.
In a bid to combat further losses anticipated in a potential Biden administration, owners aim to enable Trump’s re-election.
“Dark Money” Donations
“Dark Money” contributions help owners donate without making their political opinions public. While sounding malicious, it is completely legal and is actually a common process for the elite. These anonymous donations consist of owners donating to non-profit organizations, who donate that money to political campaigns.
Owners are completely uninvolved publicly, and the other organization handles the public affairs. It’s not only owners, but many of the rich and famous donate in this fashion to keep their fanbases happy.
With all of the political controversy stemming from this year’s election, it comes as no surprise that the sports world is also affected.
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