NFL as a whole leans right...

[Cid_B]

Doesn't seem too surprising to me...

______________________


A new study out from the Center for Responsive Politics ranked the teams by the volume of campaign money given by players, owners, executives and their spouses. And what they found was that the NFL skews very, very red.

Of the top five most generous NFL franchises, four tilted heavily toward the GOP. The most politically active team in the league, the Houston Texans, was responsible for a total of $293,100 since January of 2009. Of that, $287,300, or 98 percent, went to Republicans. That’s because of one man – team owner and energy executive Robert McNair. McNair has given $215,200 of his estimated $1.4 billion net worth to political causes since January 2009, almost entirely to Republicans.

Of the top five teams, only one, fifth-place Miami Dolphins, gave more to Democrats than Republicans. And there it was close: People affiliated with the Dolphins contributed $100,350, and 52 percent of that went to Democrats.





http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-cnbc-nfl_politics_lean_right_100711

[USA_1]

1. Typically ...

... these right wing organizations disdain government intrusion into the economy except when the public finances their football stadiums. It is hypocrisy of the worse kind.

[jpljr77]

2. Meh. The NFL is so big that it's pretty centered, politically.

Yeah, sure, it leans right, like most sports. But there are so many NFL viewers, it largely balances out, like baseball.

Here's a great graphic from last year that addresses the voting patterns of viewers of various sports. The NFL and MLB are near the middle, skewing slightly right. But it's nothing like golf, college football, and NASCAR. The NBA, tennis, and soccer (and pro wrestling, for some reason) skew left:

[CopingBarker]

16. WNBA 100% Democrat

That's pretty amazing.

I thought that league had folded.

[Bake]

3. There's a lot of rich, dumb jocks.

They didn't get there by being A-students. And the owners? they're one-percenters.

Bake

[FreeStateDemocrat]

4. Majority of fan base is neo-con causcasian males who typically vote puke but love black jocks.

[DisabledDem]

12. It's all about the currency here.

They just want to make the big $ and think life won't be so tough on them, even when looking at background life's of the players and you see most come from rural/or urban areas growing up with nothing in their pocket. Big hypocrisy from the players but the owners I'm pretty sure are in line with the Republican party. Fans tend to be very con wise. Don't believe me? Go onto NFL team forums where they are located in liberal hotspots such as New England and San Francisco. It's like 180 from the city/state political views. White males are big consumers of the sport and that leads to Republican leaning fan base since white males tend to be very con/puke wise in their polices.

[CanonRay]

5. Didn't many of the Steeler's players

go out and actively campaign for Obama?

[Viking12]

15. ...as did the owner, Dan Rooney

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/04/steelers_owner.html

[Zorra]

6. Seattle Seahawks: 100% Dem.--

America's Team.

[LiberalFighter]

7. What percent of the players for each team contribute to candidates?

What percent of team owners and their management contribute to candidates?

To lump everyone into one group is disingenuous.

There are 32 NFL teams with each team having 53 on their roster and 8 on the practice squad. Up 1,952 can be playing or on the practice squad at any one time.

How many of those 1,952 players contribute to political candidates?

[happyslug]

8. Roonys (Steelers) skew GOP? Could it be a one year problem?

One of the first thing Obama did was make Dan Rooney Ambassador to Ireland. Now Ambassadors tend to be one of two types of people, professional diplomats who do all the work and Political supporters of the Sitting President as rewards for Domestic Political Support.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Rooney#Ambassador_to_Ireland_and_politics

The family is big into Race Tracks in New York City Area and Florida, and as such I suspect is why they have given more money to the GOP then the Democrats the last few years (i.e. to buy "access" to local, County and State Government Officials). The local Democrats do NOT need their support, Pittsburgh is overwhelmingly Democratic (No Republican had sat on City Council since 1934, when the last one lost his seat, the last Republican Mayor term ended in 1930). The Suburbs have been more Friendly to the GOP, but Allegheny County Council had always had a Majority of Democrats elected. Now the first County Executive was elected in 2000

Side note on the 2000 Allegheny County Executive election. Prior to 2000, Allegheny County had a three man Commissioner set of Government, replaced by a County Executive and a County Council in 2000. In the first election for County Executive the Democratic Candidate that year was Cyril Wecht. Cyril Wecht was (and is) a brilliant person, a medical doctor, a medical examiner (Coroner. famous for his critique on the autopsy of John Kennedy) and a lawyer. The problem is Wecht had a habit of either people liking him or hating him, nothing in between. Worse, in 2000 the GOP decided to bring back up some old charges against Wecht implying Wecht had stolen money from the County when Wecht had been County Coroner. A federal jury had heard the evidence in the 1980s and found that, yes Wecht had used County Facilities to perform Autopsies Wecht did and was paid for as a private medical examiner, but it was facilities Wecht had paid for with proceeds from such autopsies. The Jury found no criminal liability for no intent was found by the jury of Wecht wanting to rip off the county. The problem for Wecht was it was enough for him to barely lose the election in 2000 after the GOP poured all types of money into the Campaign. In the next election for County Executive Dan Onorato easily defeated the GOP candidate (Seeking reelection).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Wecht

Western PA, as a whole is Strongly Democratic, but more economic progressive then social liberals (i.e. pro New Deal, Pro Great Society Programs, Pro Unions etc, but weak on Civil Rights as to Women and Minorities and Western Pennsylvania will support Law Enforcement, but also less likely to hand out the Death Penalties then any other part of the State, especially when you compare Pittsburgh and the County of Allegheny to The City and County of Philadelphia). Beside the death penalty another big difference is Gun Control, Philadelphia is much more into such gun control then even the City of Pittsburgh (Which is the hot bed of Liberalism in Western Pennsylvania), Once outside those Cities, support for Gun Control is much higher in the Suburbs of Philadelphia then in the Suburbs of Pittsburgh. The difference was best seen in the Democratic Primary election of 1980 between Jimmy Carter and Edward Kennedy. In polls taken at that time period, every sub-group of Democrats that support Edward Kennedy in the Eastern half of the State, Supported Jimmy Carter in the Western Half of the State. This difference has been known since the Colonial Period, reinforced during the Industrializing period of 1850-1930 and remains to this day.

Thus I can NOT see the Rooneys giving more money to the GOP then the Democratic Party except for some commercial reasons such as their investments in Racetracks in Florida and New York City Areas (Which I define as anything South of West Point New York).

[rugger1869]

9. Green Bay Packers

Proof that Socialism works.

[TBF]

10. Amen - the city owns the team. nt

[uponit7771]

14. +1

[undeterred]

11. Athletes as a whole are rich and not very bright.

Sounds like Repukes to me.

[blackball]

13. Imbalance of power

You know something is wrong with our society when athletes has more political influence than most intellectuals.