New Analysis Reveals Political Leanings of America’s Pro Sports Leagues

Scott Boehm/AP

A new analysis using voter registration data has revealed where athletes in America’s major professional leagues stand on the political spectrum.

The study compiled public registration information from two dozen states. Players were identified once they were matched to voter records via public biographical information. It was published Tuesday evening by VoteHub’s Peter Lutz, a student at George Washington University.

Using the data, Lutz was able to obtain the party identity of more than 1,500 athletes across the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and NHL.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the league with the highest percentage of registered Democrats is the WNBA. According to Lutz’s report, more than two-thirds of league players with available voter information are Democrats. An additional 30.2% of players are registered as independents, and approximately 2% are registered Republicans.

The NBA follows a trend occurring in the majority of the leagues, with the highest share of registered athletes being independent (45.9%). Democrats make up 42.9% of the league, and Republicans are a distant third at 10%. An even smaller percentage of players have a party affiliation that isn’t any of the big three.

Independents also make up the biggest share of NFL athletes at 44.3%. Here, however, the gap between Democrats and Republicans narrowed to 34.3% and 20.2%, respectively.

The NHL’s splits are similar to the NBA’s, but with the roles reversed. Independents lead the way with 48.6%, and Republicans following closely behind (43.9%). Just 5.6% of NHL players are registered Democrats.

The MLB is the only other league with the majority of its registered athletes being affiliated with a single party. According to the report, 53.7% of players are registered Republicans, while just 7.8% are Democrats. Independents make up an additional 36.4%.

Lutz also arranged the NFL’s data by position group. The most Democratic positions, he found, were defensive backs (safeties, cornerbacks) and running backs. The most Republican positions can be found on special teams, with kickers (50%), punters (57%), and long snappers (61%) having the highest percentage of GOP voters.

As Luntz noted in the report, the data presented covers only 40% of eligible athletes, “primarily because several large states, most notably California and Texas, do not make voter files publicly accessible.”

Additionally, the increased presence of international athletes should be considered when looking at the data. At the time of writing, foreign-born players made up 69% of the NHL, according to a study from George Mason University’s Institute for Immigration Research.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet Newsletter
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!