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Election 2016 a political minefield

Sports figures tread lightly with divisive candidates

Tremors from the most politically divisive presidential campaign in memory are rippling through the sports marketplace, causing many athletes, executives and agencies to tread cautiously regarding endorsements or official support of any kind.

The nominees, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, are coming to the general election with long histories in the public eye, plenty of baggage and high negative opinion numbers.

“There’s no question this election has the two most unpopular candidates in modern times running against each other,” said Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary under President George W. Bush who now runs a sports communications business.

Others in the business echo that sentiment:

“This is such a crazy election that I don’t think anything compares,” said Doug Shabelman, president of Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing. “You could say before that [George W.] Bush and [Bill] Clinton were divisive, but they don’t hold a candle to this.”

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Mark Lepselter, president of Maxx Sports & Entertainment, which represents about 60 sports broadcasters, writers and commentators. “You’ve got to be smart, in this day and age, about anything that comes out of your mouth.”

“It is definitely, without question, the most polarizing election that I can remember,” said Matt Higgins, co-founder and CEO of Stephen Ross’ RSE Ventures who has an active background in politics, including serving as press secretary for Rudy Guiliani when Guiliani was mayor of New York City. “The rhetoric in this election is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before, not just at the presidential level, but at any level.”

Because of that, any public association with the candidates — especially Trump — threatens to become radioactive. While agents and marketers did not want to speak publicly about either candidate, privately they said Trump’s provocative comments, including about Mexicans and Muslims, as well as his unpredictability, could make an alliance with him potentially more dangerous.

It’s requiring traditionally politically active team owners to keep a lower profile and agents to think carefully about their advice for clients with strong political leanings who may want to share them publicly.

NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France was joined by several drivers at a Trump rally.
Photo by: AP IMAGES
And the political sensitivities around the campaign have already caused collateral damage and put the brakes on deals.

In one case, a major brand was close to signing a nationally known athlete to a major endorsement deal when a red flag came up at the last minute, said Michael Neuman, managing partner of Scout Sports & Entertainment, which was representing the brand.

“On further due diligence, someone on the brand side dug up some details, some additional information, not just on his support of Trump, but, I guess, his support of Trump was a little excessive,” said Neuman, who would not identify the athlete or the brand.

At the last minute, the brand decided to go with a nonathlete celebrity who was not publicly political.

Neuman thinks “overly passionate” support of Trump cost the athlete a deal. “The brand felt that opinion did not support the overall opinion of the brand,” he said.

For Neuman, it was a wake-up call to the state of American politics in 2016.

“I was a little floored until I really sat down and examined what just happened,” he said.

Mixing politics with business has always held potential pitfalls, and companies prefer that their endorsers not express political views.

“It can immediately offend somebody who might not otherwise have thought anything about you in a negative way.” said Shabelman, who helps brands find spokespeople.

Sandy Montag, from sports broadcasting consulting firm The Montag Group, expressed a similar view.

“It’s best not to mix your politics and your profession,” Montag said. “A network doesn’t want the viewers to assimilate one of their talent with a particular political candidate. They don’t want to offend anyone; they don’t want to turn anyone off.”

Montag said he has explicitly told clients to avoid the issue. “There is no benefit for any of my clients to come out publicly and say who they are supporting,” he said.

A Republican and frequent political talking head, Fleischer, who partnered with Montag on his firm that provides communications and media training, said he hasn’t had many athletes ask for advice on supporting a candidate, but plenty of politicians have come to him seeking athlete endorsers.

“I’ve had some people come to me and ask me if I can get an athlete to endorse them, particularly in statewide races,” Fleischer said. “And my advice to the athlete [in that case] has been to stay out.”

While some athletes may express initial interest in a public endorsement, Fleischer walks through with them what that really means, asking, “Are you political? How closely do you follow politics? Do you really get involved and do you care? Can you get into a debate about these things?”

UFC’s Dana White spoke at the Republican convention.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
“Almost always the answer is, ‘Yeah, I sort of pay attention, but no, I don’t want to get involved.’” Fleischer said. “So if you don’t want to talk about it, why would you step into the arena and make yourself controversial by making an endorsement?”

But there is “the rare athlete” who can pull off a political endorsement, Fleischer said, citing examples like NFL kicker Jay Feely and former MLB pitcher Curt Schilling’s support for Republican candidates.

Shabelman said that endorsing a political candidate can hurt an athlete or sports personality’s brand, but that he believes it doesn’t always have a lasting effect unless the endorser follows up with controversial comments or actions.

“Let’s look at Rex Ryan,” Shabelman said of the Buffalo Bills’ coach, who introduced Trump at a rally in Buffalo in April. “If Rex Ryan starts coming out and saying, ‘Yes, let’s build a wall and keep the Mexicans out,’ that’s different than him just coming out and saying, ‘Hey, I support Trump. Let’s make America great again.’”

Ryan’s agent, CAA Football’s Jimmy Sexton, had no comment on his client’s political statements of support.

The list of athletes and owners throwing their hats into the endorsement ring for this presidential cycle has been short. NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France, backed by drivers Chase Elliott, Ryan Newman and David Ragan and hall of famer Bill Elliott, made headlines Feb. 29 when he spoke in support of Trump at a rally.

That appearance put a rare spotlight on an active sports executive and athletes making a public stand. It drew such controversy that France later told The Associated Press he had to have conversations with sponsors and “clarified some things” after his appearance, which was an expression of his own views and not those of NASCAR.

Sources inside NASCAR also acknowledged the appearance of an endorsement by France rattled the inner hallways of the sport.

Trump, who consistently has drawn attention for controversial statements, has upped the risk factor tied to a public endorsement in an already contentious race. (Asked whether Clinton and Trump are equally polarizing, Fleischer said, “Hillary Clinton is very polarizing. Donald Trump is extremely polarizing.”)

Despite that, some talent representatives aren’t telling their clients to avoid politics at all costs.

“I am not going to tell them yes or no,” said Ty Jones, senior director of talent management for WhoSay, a celebrity content marketing firm that advises more than 2,000 sports and entertainment celebrities. Jones advises athletes on their social media messaging. “I just want them to see the reality of their posts. It does pin you in a corner. … It is such a polarizing election, it can really turn off a lot of your fan base and brand deals, too.”

Tom George has been on both sides of the aisle, advising athletes on endorsements for years at Octagon and now vice president of sports marketing for MDI Entertainment, which markets licensed games to lotteries.

George says endorsing a candidate for president may narrow the endorsement opportunities for an athlete, but George is not against it, if the athlete understands the risks, is educated about the issues and really wants to do it.

“Never do it cavalierly,” George said. “If you are going to endorse a presidential candidate, be serious. Because if you are doing it cavalierly, you are just mucking up the works for no good reason.”

And if there are risks, George says, there are also opportunities.

“Bear in mind, Donald Trump is resonating with a lot of people in this country [and] that is what brands are trying to do,” he said. “It really depends on what you are selling and who you are selling to.”

George complimented UFC President Dana White’s public backing of Trump and said it was a good fit for his sport’s demographic.

“White coming out for Trump is prudent,” he said. “Look who is going to the fights!”

White spoke passionately on Trump’s behalf at the Republican National Convention last month, while LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis also spoke at the convention.

Soccer player Megan Rapinoe (right) joined Clinton for a panel discussion on gender pay inequality.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
Clinton, with a long political history of drawing partisan fire and with a former president for a husband with controversies of his own, comes with her own risks. There were few sports executives or athletes publicly supporting Clinton at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, as former NBA player Jason Collins spoke alongside his brother, Warriors coach Jarron Collins.

Dan Levy, head of Olympics and women’s sports at Wasserman, represents several players from the U.S. women’s soccer team, including Megan Rapinoe and recently retired star Abby Wambach, both of whom have publicly supported Clinton. Levy and his Wasserman colleagues helped facilitate Rapinoe’s appearance with Clinton at a panel discussion in New York in April to discuss gender pay inequality.

He said he does not advise clients not to speak out, nor does he tell them that if they do speak out, they may lose endorsements.

“They are keenly aware of that,” Levy said.

Players realize if they make political statements or say something positive about a candidate, they will be criticized.

“They are on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and are getting drilled constantly,” Levy said.

The decision to be publicly involved in politics is a personal issue for clients, and Levy said his job is to support them in whatever they decide to do.

“The safe thing to do is stay silent, but we have a lot of clients who are passionate and opt not for the safest route,” he said.

Higgins has worked for two NFL owners who are active in politics and key GOP fundraisers — the Dolphins’ Ross and the Jets’ Woody Johnson.

Without citing any specific examples, he believes this year’s national divide has caused some owners previously more publicly supportive of their candidate to keep quiet.

“Many of the usual suspects who usually do get involved may be sitting on the sidelines,” he said. He believed many team owners, who are active party fundraisers, may be more notably absent during this year’s election cycle.

But Higgins believes being politically active may outweigh the risks for some.

“On the one hand, if you are taking a stand in politics, you are running the risk of alienating approximately half of the population,” Higgins said. “But, on the other hand, I think people respect a principled stance. In a democracy — it sounds clichéd and corny — but we do have an obligation to take part. So I don’t begrudge any owner or athlete from getting involved in the political process and making their position known.

Higgins noted that Johnson’s active support of Republican candidates in previous elections didn’t affect perception of the Jets or hurt the team’s business.

Warriors coach Jarron Collins addresses Democrats as brother and retired NBA player Jason Collins looks on.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
“[Johnson] supported McCain and he supported Romney, and as I recall, it had zero impact on the business,” Higgins said of the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. “It just doesn’t have an effect. When I say ‘effect,’ of course people are going to agree and disagree and be passionate and let their feelings be known, but that is different than having a fundamental effect on the business.”

Among team owners, nobody has been more noticeable in the campaign than the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs. Early this year, after Marlene and Joe Ricketts, parents of Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, were found to have donated more than $5.5 million to a political action committee opposing Trump, the GOP candidate tweeted, “They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!”

Since then, Tom Ricketts’ brother Pete, current Nebraska governor and a Cubs co-owner, has thrown his support behind Trump. But their sister Laura, also a team co-owner and member of the club’s board of directors, is a top fundraiser for Clinton, hosted an event for her earlier this month and was a super delegate from Illinois at last week’s Democratic convention.

New York Yankees President Randy Levine, meanwhile, has also publicly supported Trump, saying he’s a “really, really good person and he’ll be a great leader.”

Some in sports are getting pulled into the election, whether they want to be or not. Trump has said repeatedly that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is a personal friend. When asked about this, Brady has focused on the friendship but has not publicly touched on any political support of Trump.

Jones believes Brady has handled that situation as well as possible.

“Brady [has] publicly said he supports Trump, not necessarily for the election, but he’s his friend; he’s known him for years,” Jones said. “He kind of toes that line of not going all in and endorsing him, but still endorsing him as his friend and in whatever endeavors he does. I think he is very mindful that he doesn’t want to alienate his fan base.”

Trump has attended Patriots games in the past, and Brady and team owner Robert Kraft are known to be close to the GOP nominee. That hasn’t sat well with all areas of the team’s fan base, some of whom disapprove of the relationship, which was alluded to in a Fox Sports story in March that had the headline, “Patriots fans blast Robert Kraft, Tom Brady over Donald Trump endorsement.”

Despite the risks, and risks that many agree may be heightened in what has been a toxic campaign season, George says those with a strong desire to make their voice heard in the political arena should not shy away.

“If someone has a real jones about a particular political candidate — positive or negative, but preferably positive — and they want to spend their brand capital in that way, as long as they are professionally advised, why not?” George said. “If you are passionate about it and you are financially secure, do what you want.”

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