Football, Politics, and Race

A Data Dive

I’m fortunate to be surrounded by some phenomenal minds at Williams College. One colleague whose work I deeply admire is Professor Tyran Steward, a historian specializing in African American and modern U.S. history.

Prof. Steward has a forthcoming book, The Benching of Willis Ward: The Making of a Black Conservative in the Jim Crow North, which promises to be a seminal work in the field. According to his web page (and since it’s public information, I’m free to share it here), the book offers an in-depth exploration of Willis Ward — a Black football pioneer at the University of Michigan and teammate of future U.S. President Gerald Ford. Prof. Steward examines how Ward’s racially-motivated benching in 1934 helps us understand the connections between Black conservatism, racism in the north, sports, and the complex world of politics and racial equality.

Having previewed a chapter yesterday, I’m convinced this is a work that will belong on every bookshelf. The preview also made me feel more broadly intrigued by the complexities of race and politics in sports, not just historically, but today. Prof. Steward’s vivid and engrossing historical coverage of football got me thinking: How do modern NFL players navigate their political landscapes? And since I am a data scientist, what secrets lie within the public record about NFL players’ political preferences?

Well, there went my well-intentioned plans for a productive morning, swallowed whole by my curiosity. The data was Whatsapp-ing me and I was powerless not to answer.

Public Campaign Contribution Data

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) makes public certain information about individual contributions to federal election candidates in order to promote transparency and accountability in the electoral process. This data includes the donor’s name, address, employer, occupation, the amount of the donation, and the recipient. By making this information publicly accessible, the FEC ensures that citizens can observe who is financially supporting political candidates. This transparency helps to inform the public about potential influences on candidates and ensures a level of openness about the financial aspects of election campaigns. In essence, it aids in building public trust and encourages ethical behavior by both donors and candidates.

To gather data, I visited the FEC Individual Contributions portal and searched for all contributions made by individuals employed by the 32 NFL teams from 2008 onwards. I did extra digging for teams that had relocated or changed names during this period. For instance, I grouped contributions from employees of “San Diego Chargers” with those of “Los Angeles Chargers” to account for the team’s relocation.

Given that teams have many employees who aren’t players, I sifted through job titles, focusing on contributions where donors were listed as roles like “linebacker,” “defensive end,” “NFL player,” and “professional athlete.” In total, I identified 22 phrases as designating players, separating them from coaches, back office staff, and other non-player employees.

Now, the million-dollar question: how do we discern if a contribution leaned Democratic or Republican? The recipient names were my guide. If a recipient political committee had ties or associations with known Democratic or Republican figures or entities, I categorized it accordingly. For example, committees with names containing “Obama” or “Democratic” were classified as Democratic, while those with “Trump” or “Republican” were identified as Republican. In instances where the affiliation wasn’t clear-cut, I labeled it as “Unknown.”

In the end, I found 2,029 contributions from 1,675 players totaling $1,365,292 dollars.

Why So Little?

Considering the substantial salaries of NFL players, their political contributions might seem modest. But remember, these athletes are bound by the same FEC donation limits as every other American citizen. Campaign finance rules are incredibly complex, and I am not an expert on them. Insofar as I understand, here are just a few of the restrictions that are in place:

• Individuals can donate up to $3,000 per election to a federal candidate. This limit applies separately to each election; primaries, runoffs, and general elections are considered separate elections.
• Individuals can contribute up to $35,500 per year to a national party committee, which means they could give this amount to the Democratic National Committee, Republican National Committee, and others each year.
• Individuals can donate up to $5,000 per year to any political action committee (PAC).

Of course, not every player may choose to donate to candidates or committees, and those who do might not always donate the maximum allowed amount. In fact, we see in our data that most come nowhere close.

Finally, we can’t forget Super PACs, which provide a loophole for individuals to make unlimited donations. Distinguished from regular PACs, Super PACs operate with the restriction that they cannot directly coordinate with a candidate or their campaign.

The Donor, not the Recipient

My focus isn’t on the political impact of these donations, but rather on the narrative they weave about the players themselves — their beliefs, affiliations, and identities.

Here’s what I found. Of the 1,675 players, only two have donations to recipients that I categorized as “Unknown.” For simplicity, I eliminate these. One of the individuals has $500 in Republican donations and $2,700 in unknown donations. The other has $7,500 in Democratic donations and $15,000 in unknown donations.

Of the remaining 1,673 players, only 10 have donations to both Democratic and Republican causes. Again for simplicity, I eliminate these. These 10 individuals account for $5,451.60 Republican donations and $19,146.20 Democratic donations.

I’m left with 1,663 players accounting for a total of $1,314,994. Here’s how the players and donations break down.

Of the 1,663 players, 97.7% donated to Republicans and 2.3% donated to Democrats. Of the $1,314,994 in donations, 79.1% was given to Republicans and 20.9% was given to Democrats.

With the limitations of the data all taken as caveats, it seems that the overwhelming number of political donations from NFL players support the Republican party.

No Answers, Only Questions

I won’t attempt to deduce the racial identities of the 1,663 players in my dataset. However, considering that an estimated 70% of NFL players are Black, a significant number of Black players likely feature in these donation statistics. Yet, each donation reflects an individual’s complex identity, woven from threads of race, wealth, profession, and personal beliefs and experiences.

Caution is essential when drawing any conclusions or making assumptions based on this information. This is why I am not going to make any conclusions. Instead, here are reflections:

1. Autonomy: Every player, like any individual, has the right to support political ideologies that align with their personal beliefs and values. It’s essential to recognize and respect each person’s autonomy. No one is inherently tied to or owes allegiance to any specific political party based on their racial or ethnic background, or any other identity characteristic, for that matter.
2. Intersectionality: The preponderance of contributions to the Republican party might underscore the multi-faceted nature of identity. It could suggest a landscape where elements like race, wealth, and social standing intertwine, each influencing political affiliations.

Or to put it simply: it would be facile to assume that Black players automatically should or do support Democratic candidates, even though most Black voters vote for Democrats ( at least, as of the 2022 midterms). Understanding political contributions from NFL players requires a nuanced approach that respects individual choices and considers the intricate interplay of various identity characteristics, histories, and social forces.

Back to Willis Ward

The Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, illuminates the journey of Willis Ward, stating, “at times Ward was a pioneer, breaking new ground for African Americans. At other times, he was conservative and accommodationist.”

As I eagerly await Prof. Steward’s book, I find myself thinking about how each NFL player’s political contribution unveils a complex dance of identities, societal contexts, histories, and personal convictions, reminiscent of Willis Ward’s era and carrying profound implications for our understanding of race and sports today.

Your neighbor,

Chad