DeSantis’ attack on civil and human rights has extended to almost every aspect of society in Florida, from corporations to higher ed. Now we’re all learning that sports are officially involved in supporting the governor’s fascist reign.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that the Orlando Magic donated $50,000 to Ron DeSantis’ Super Pac.
At first, there was some confusion as to whether the donation came from the Magic or from its owners, the DeVos family. But yesterday the confusion was clarified when records from the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) confirmed that the donation to “Never Back Down Inc.” was indeed from the Orlando Magic franchise.
After initially declining to wade into the issue, the Magic finally released a statement.
“To clarify, this gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race. It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida,†said a team spokesperson.
According to FEC records, the Magic’s donation was received on June 26th, almost a month after DeSantis announced his bid for president on May 24th. The team noted that the check was date May 19th, days before the announcement, but that’s an excuse for DeSantis was hinting at a presidential run in the weeks prior.
He even travled through Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom in late April. His camp denied it was for the purposes of a presidential run but everyone knew better.
“While the trip is officially billed as a trade mission, the tour is widely seen as an attempt to burnish his foreign policy credentials in the lead-up to an official announcement, expected in the late spring or early summer,” wrote Reuters on April 21st.
That the extremely wealthy and conservative DeVos family would support Florida’s governor comes as no suprise. Team owners, including NBA team owners, have long donated to political campaigns and politicians.
But, according to Sopan Deb of The New York Times, “the Magic’s check appears to be the first direct donation from an N.B.A. team to a group directly allied with a presidential candidate — or one, like DeSantis, who was widely expected to run.”
That means that the team is directly supporting DeSantis, regardless of the team’s donation framing.
And while this won’t rile up DeSantis supporters in the Magic organization, this should rankle every other moral, decent person in the organization, especially those who are Black.
DeSantis has directly attacked almost every issue and platform important to Black America including DEI efforts, education, voting rights, health care and history. So no Black Orlando Magic employee, player or coach is exempt from the harm Florida’s governor is inflicting across the state.
If you look at the team roster, 15 of the 18 players are Black. On the coaching staff, four of eight are Black, including head coach Jamahl Mosley.
That means that because of their skin color, almost 75% of the team are directly impacted by the discriminatory laws and oppressive tactics employed by the governor’s regime.
But this isn’t just a Magic problem. This is also an issue for the NBA, the most progressive and player friendly league in pro sports.
So what should players do? Can they do anything?
The answer is yes, and they only have to turn to recent history, ironically a history that DeSantis’ new education guidelines happily seeks to whitewash, for support.
In 2020, WNBA players on the Atlanta Dream revolted against team co-owner, Kelly Loeffler, who attacked the Black Lives Matter movement. Players across the league supported Rev. Raphael Warnock, Loeffler’s opponent in the Georgia U.S. Senate race and the players union called for Loeffler’s ouster. Even the league waded into the situation, saying that Loeffler’s criticism’s of the league’s committment to social justice didn’t align with the WNBA’s progressive values.
In the end, the team was sold and Warnock defeated Loeffler to become the first Black Democrat elected to the Senate from the South.
NBA players also stood up against racist owners.
In 2014, then-Clippers owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape in a racist rant. Clippers’ players, who were just beginning a playoff run, took a stand before their Game 4 matchup against the Warriors by wearing their shirts inside out and leaving their warmups at center court. A few days later, newly annointed NBA commissioner Adam Silver imposed a lifetime ban and a maximum $2.5 million fine on Sterling and eventually worked with the league’s Board of Governors to force a sale of the team to Steve Ballmer for $2 billion.
It was fitting expulsion for Sterling, who had a documented history of racist behavior.
Now the Orlando Magic has its crossroads moment.
Disney sponsors the team’s jerseys, yet it’s currently embroiled in a nasty fight with the vindictive governor who is punishing the company for speaking out against his “Don’t Say Gay” law.
But the team still cut a check to the man that is single-handedly doing everything he pettily can to inflict pain on a major team sponsor.
So now what?
The “what” can, and should be, answered swiftly by the players, coaches and employees of the Magic organization. And Disney, too.
They should follow the lead of the Dream and Clippers and take a unified stance against the DeVos’ use of the Magic to support DeSantis and all that stand with him. That can include Disney revoking its jersey patch sponsorhip.
Everyone has seen wealthy team owners supporting widely detested leaders like the former president. That’s basically expected and, arguably, accepted. It’s their right.
That right also comes with the right to receive backlash for it, especially when their chosen candidates are directly attacking the rights, lives and history of the very players and coaches they employ.
But those are individuals, not teams.
The Magic, as an organization, have now officially supported an individual presidential candidate no matter how they spin it. And they’ve chosen one of the most vile, discriminatory, vindictive and authoritarian candidates to support.
In response, the team needs to initiate a pushback effort and let everyone know what they stand for.
If they don’t, they’re actually letting everyone know what they really stand for.
