CURTIS HENRY
Sports Editor
It has been an election year unlike any other. With all of the hot-button issues that America has to disagree on, the chaos of this election seems to be the one thing that everyone can agree with.
The world of sports has not been exempt to controversy during this year’s election cycle. A wide variety of athletes in a plethora of sports have used their platform to endorse one candidate or the other.
Some figureheads in the sports world, like New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long and “NBA Tonight” host Kenny Smith, have chosen to endorse third party candidate Gary Johnson and his running mate Bill Weld. However, the vast majority of athletes to speak out on this election have gone the traditional route of endorsing one of the two major candidates.
A number of Bills players, current and former, have spoken out about their admiration for Donald Trump. The list includes former Bills Shawne Merriman and Terrell Owens, as well as current Bills guard Richie Incognito. Outspoken Bills head coach Rex Ryan also endorsed Trump and he even introduced him at a rally in April.
The endorsements from members of the Bills organization probably won’t do Trump too much good. The massive Democratic demographics of downstate and New York City seem to consistently outweigh any Republican traction from western New York.
Adding support to Trump’s campaign are a slew of current and former Boston Red Sox players. Clay Buccholz, Johnny Damon, Jonathan Papelbon and Curt Schilling have all endorsed the Republican nominee. Buccholz cited an interesting reason for supporting Trump, stating that in 2008, Trump introduced him to the woman that would eventually become Buccholz’s wife, Lindsay Clubine.
To no surprise, the NBA has been overwhelming in its support for Hillary Clinton. The league has historically voted Democrat, and this year is no different.
Leading the charge in endorsements for Clinton have been big names like Steph Curry and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer on Clinton’s behalf, and Curry spoke out about endorsing Clinton last month. Curry’s endorsement comes as no surprise, as he has been spotted golfing with President Obama on numerous occasions and his wife, Ayesha, is a partner of Michelle Obama’s in their “Let’s Move” initiative.
Perhaps the most important endorsement in the world of sports comes from LeBron James, who recently endorsed Clinton.
“When I think about the kinds of policies and ideas the kids in my foundation need from our government, the choice is clear,” said James in a letter to Business Insider early in October, referring to Clinton.
James is arguably the biggest figure in all of sports in the U.S., and his endorsement may be enough to sway undecided voters that are devout fans. He’s certainly the most important sports figure in the history of the state of Ohio, one of the battleground swing states that Clinton needs to win in order to capture the victory in next week’s election. Whether or not James’ endorsement is big enough to sway the election is yet to be seen, but it’s important nevertheless.