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Despite Player Protests, Team Owners Are Still donating Their Money To The Republicans

BSabitt

As athletes across all major sports have been protesting recent police shooting and racial injustice, owners appear to be sticking to their guns. According to a report by USA Today, team owners donations are still mostly going to right-wing politicians and/or Republican groups.

When the Dolphins decided to stay in the locker room instead of protesting the national anthem on the field, they cited the need for action instead of “fluff”.

“No more fluff and empty gestures,” Dolphins players said in a video tweeted out at the time. “We need owners with influence and pockets bigger than ours to call up officials and flex political power.”

While a lot of owners have been listening to their players and giving money to social justice cause, the “big” money is still tied up with their friend in the Republican party. The disparity is pretty jaw-dropping.

According to the USA Today article, for the 2020 election cycle, 86% of owners money has gone to Republican candidates and their causes. This graph shows the amounts donated by owners of teams across the MLB, MLS, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and the WNBA since Jan. 1, 2019.

Related

Of the donations to each political party, the top 10 donations were given to the Republican side. The biggest donation to the Democratic party came from Chicago Cubs part-owner Laura Ricketts, who donated $210,496 to Democratic PACs. This is a little ironic, being as her brother works in Donald Trump’s cabinet, and the family has used Wrigley Field to host Republican benefits.

Some of the top donations came from the San Francisco Giants Charles Johnson, the Jets owner Woody Johnson, Orlando Magic owner Dan DeVos and the New York Knicks owner James Dolan, with all of their donations going to Republican causes.

Need For A Change?

Look, I’m not going to say team owners can’t donate to whatever political party they see fit. It’s their money, and they can spend it as they please. However, I think it’s kind of bullshit that team owners have been praising their players for speaking out and using their voices, but can’t put their money where their mouths are.

These guys are the top 1% of wealth in America, and I think they can afford to share some of that wealth for good causes, as well as the politicians they support. It’s time we see owners come together with their players to help make the world a better place for everyone.

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