US election: Which Premier League owners are backing Harris and Trump?
One of Donald Trump or Kamala Harris will be the next President of the United States. But which Premier League owners backed which candidate in this year’s US election?
Manchester United’s co-owning brothers Edward and Avram Glazer will have contrasting emotions come tomorrow, with the siblings backing opposing sides in the US election.
The sporting powerhouses have backed different candidates in the run-up to Tuesday’s vote, where one of Kamala Harris or Donald Trump Jr will become President of the United States.
Elder brother Avram Glazer, 64, has helped to fund Democrat Harris and related causes to the tune of $3.4m while Edward Glazer, 54, has backed Republican Trump and related causes at a cost of $2m.
US election backing
They’re not the only Glazers in the political mix, however. Sister Darcie Glazer and a number of her brothers have donated to Gridiron PAC, the NFL’s non-partisan lobbying company, through their ownership of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Avram Glazer’s donations are the most significant of the family: six-figure sums total $1,750,000 before Edward’s highest donation – $103,000 to the Republican National Committee – shows up on the Federal Election Commission Individual Contributions list.
The 64-year-old’s donations include those to the Harris Victory Fund, the Democratic National Committee and the Iowa Democratic Party.
But Kamala Harris doesn’t seem to be a soccer fan so the implications of her election for the English Premier League seem far less apparent – Professor Simon Chadwick
Edward backed one-time Trump challenger Ron Desantis to the tune of $11,600 according to the data, which stretches back to 1 January 2023.
But the Glazers are not the only major Premier League owners who have lobbied for one of the parties in the US election. Bournemouth owner Bill Foley is a major player for Trump, backing the 2016 election winner’s affiliate groups this year with six-figure donations.
The face of Chelsea’s ownership, Todd Boehly, has backed Republican US House of Representatives member Patrick McHenry in his reelection campaign.
There are also entries from incoming Everton owner Dan Friedkin to the Automotive Free International Trade PAC, which donates 90 per cent of its money to Republicans.
Football not important
“Support for Trump is interesting as his election manifesto is clearly based around imposing trade sanctions on imported goods,” Professor Simon Chadwick, an expert in global sports business, tells City PM.
“This would likely apply to Premier League products – whether broadcasting content, merchandise or otherwise – which would undermine its competitive position in the US and drive local fans towards American sports.
“For the likes of Foley and Boehly, this suggests that football is far less important to them than their other, wider business and personal interests are.
“As for Avram Glazer, if there’s a connection to be made between his political preferences and his football club ownership, it is that Manchester United is more likely to see populations in big cities and conurbations being their target audiences, rather than rural areas of the US.
“But Kamala Harris doesn’t seem to be a soccer fan – she recently talked of her love for F1 and Lewis Hamilton – so the implications of her election for the English Premier League seem far less apparent.”
There will be Premier League winners and losers no matter who prevails in the US election over the next 24 hours. Will it have a big impact on the Premier League? Probably not. But it does reflect a nation divided as it goes to the ballots.