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 One of the little followed stories in sports is the behind-the-scenes efforts on the political front. Political donations are part and parcel with US sports properties, especially those that have some form of anti-trust exemption.
In July of 2007, I examined how Major League Baseball’s political action committee (MLBPAC) was taking political donations in and how they were redirected (see Money, Politics, and MLB's Political Action Committee). Now, OpenSecrets.org has done an extensive look at campaign contributions from players, coaches, and owners in the NFL (see Politicians Score Significant Cash From NFL Owners, Coaches and Players). As reported:
The NFL last year also created a political action committee – the Gridiron PAC – and opened an office in Washington, D.C., from which to better lobby lawmakers.
"Like any large business, a presence in Washington is a good thing to have for us," Jeff Miller, the NFL's vice president for government relations and public policy, told Capital Eye.
Miller noted that the NFL now employs two full-time staffers in Washington who lobby on and track a variety of governmental issues that interest the league: labor law, media policy, illegal gambling, communications and performance-enhancing drugs.
As mentioned, having political influence can impact anti-trust exemption, and for the NFL, that relates to the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, a critical element of the NFL that allows broadcast revenues to be centralized across the 32 franchises.
But, how did each franchise contribute, along with other football entities such as the UFL, Pro Football HOF, NFL Network, AFL, plus others, and to what party? Select Read More to see contributions for each since 1989
|
Team
|
Total
|
Democrats
|
Republicans
|
Dem %
|
Repub %
|
| San Diego Chargers |
$2,455,200
|
$40,773
|
$2,414,427
|
2%
|
98%
|
| Houston Texans |
$623,456
|
$4,000
|
$615,256
|
1%
|
99%
|
| Arizona Cardinals |
$337,096
|
$85,950
|
$251,146
|
25%
|
75%
|
| Washington Redskins |
$323,000
|
$8,550
|
$314,450
|
3%
|
97%
|
| National Football League |
$322,373
|
$224,798
|
$97,075
|
70%
|
30%
|
| New York Jets |
$261,403
|
$26,011
|
$235,392
|
10%
|
90%
|
| New Orleans Saints |
$257,913
|
$18,150
|
$239,763
|
7%
|
93%
|
| St Louis Rams |
$234,800
|
$230,050
|
$4,750
|
98%
|
2%
|
| Pittsburgh Steelers |
$229,307
|
$128,892
|
$100,415
|
56%
|
44%
|
| Jacksonville Jaguars |
$201,066
|
$36,564
|
$164,502
|
18%
|
82%
|
| Philadelphia Eagles |
$183,500
|
$156,400
|
$27,100
|
85%
|
15%
|
| Dallas Cowboys |
$164,467
|
$29,600
|
$134,867
|
18%
|
82%
|
| Minnesota Vikings |
$131,175
|
$14,600
|
$116,575
|
11%
|
89%
|
| Kansas City Chiefs |
$130,300
|
$20,950
|
$109,350
|
16%
|
84%
|
| Cincinnati Bengals |
$126,200
|
$1,750
|
$124,450
|
1%
|
99%
|
| Cleveland Browns |
$125,526
|
$41,126
|
$84,400
|
33%
|
67%
|
| New England Patriots |
$122,400
|
$88,200
|
$24,200
|
72%
|
20%
|
| Indianapolis Colts |
$117,150
|
$56,150
|
$61,000
|
48%
|
52%
|
| San Francisco 49ers |
$111,121
|
$93,015
|
$18,106
|
84%
|
16%
|
| Denver Broncos |
$110,413
|
$36,850
|
$73,563
|
33%
|
67%
|
| Miami Dolphins |
$108,001
|
$92,000
|
$15,751
|
85%
|
15%
|
| Baltimore Ravens |
$92,471
|
$34,871
|
$57,600
|
38%
|
62%
|
| Carolina Panthers |
$89,018
|
$34,500
|
$54,518
|
39%
|
61%
|
| Atlanta Falcons |
$77,350
|
$25,950
|
$51,400
|
34%
|
66%
|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
$71,883
|
$34,600
|
$36,583
|
48%
|
51%
|
| Los Angeles Rams |
$52,250
|
$47,250
|
$5,000
|
90%
|
10%
|
| United Football League |
$41,100
|
$41,100
|
$0
|
100%
|
0%
|
| Buffalo Bills |
$38,506
|
$25,006
|
$13,500
|
65%
|
35%
|
| Tennessee Titans |
$36,050
|
$4,450
|
$31,600
|
12%
|
88%
|
| Detroit Lions |
$32,751
|
$20,750
|
$12,001
|
63%
|
37%
|
| New York Giants |
$31,000
|
$8,700
|
$22,300
|
28%
|
72%
|
| Chicago Bears |
$28,100
|
$13,050
|
$15,050
|
46%
|
54%
|
| Seattle Seahawks |
$24,402
|
$13,000
|
$11,402
|
53%
|
47%
|
| Green Bay Packers |
$8,750
|
$2,550
|
$6,200
|
29%
|
71%
|
| Oakland Raiders |
$6,800
|
$4,050
|
$2,750
|
60%
|
40%
|
| Pro Football Hall of Fame |
$6,400
|
$2,650
|
$3,750
|
41%
|
59%
|
| NFL Network |
$6,000
|
$1,900
|
$4,100
|
32%
|
68%
|
| NFL Properties |
$3,000
|
$3,000
|
$0
|
100%
|
0%
|
| Arena Football League |
$3,000
|
$1,000
|
$2,000
|
33%
|
67%
|
| Pro Arena Football |
$2,300
|
$2,300
|
$0
|
100%
|
0%
|
| Los Angeles Raiders |
$2,000
|
$2,000
|
$0
|
100%
|
0%
|
| Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Cmte |
$250
|
$250
|
$0
|
100%
|
0%
|
Source: OpenSecrets.org
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