Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may be trailing in the polls, but he's won over a team from his home state.
Orlando Magic appear to be the first NBA team... ever? to back a presidential candidate: $50k to Ron DeSantis's Super PAC
— Alex Shultz (@AlexShultz) August 1, 2023
I asked spox to clarify if donation should instead be attributed to owner Richard DeVos; response was "we don’t comment publicly on political contributions" pic.twitter.com/9B5yuvIUF3
According to Federal Election Commission filings, the Orlando Magic donated $50K to Never Back Down, a political action committee for DeSantis. SFGate's Alex Shultz reported it could be the largest political contribution ever from an NBA team.
I didn't do an exhaustive search but a scan of FEC filings shows this is also possibly the largest political donation attributed to an NBA organization (some $10k-ish donations to the RNC on behalf of the Phoenix Suns in the '90s and early 2000s)
— Alex Shultz (@AlexShultz) August 1, 2023
It's not unique that a team owner makes political donations. Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris (who also now owns the Washington Commanders) is a big Republican donor — though he also gave $3,800 to Barack Obama's first presidential campaign. (His company also lent $184 million Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner's real estate firm.) That's different from the actual team donating, however.
What is unique is that the Magic, owned by the DeVos family, supported DeSantis. Betsy DeVos, sister-in-law of Magic team governor Dan DeVos, served as Secretary of Education in the Trump Administration until 2021, but the team, and presumably the family, lined up behind Trump's rival DeSantis.
The Magic have also effectively taken sides with DeSantis in his continuing legal and political battle with their Orlando's neighbors at Walt Disney World. Disney opposed the DeSantis-supported HB 1557, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill. DeSantis then removed Disney's control over the special investment district that encompasses Disney World, and Disney responded by suing DeSantis and canceling plans for a $1 billion office complex in Orlando.
To complicate matters further, Disney remains the jersey sponsor for the Magic and their partner in community outreach. There's even a special Disney seating section during select home games.
Perhaps the DeVos family is simply hedging their bets by donating to DeSantis, whose term as governor runs until 2027, but it could turn into more ammunition for Trump's complaint that the NBA has become too political, despite him having a team owner's close relative in his cabinet.
People are tired of watching the highly political @NBA. Basketball ratings are WAY down, and they won’t be coming back. I hope football and baseball are watching and learning because the same thing will be happening to them. Stand tall for our Country and our Flag!!!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 1, 2020
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