A new analysis by VoteHub has shed light on the political affiliations of athletes across five major US sports leagues, using publicly available voter registration data. The survey examined 1,506 active athletes from 2024 in Washington, D.C., and 24 states, providing a broad overview of partisan leanings within each league.
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) emerged as the most Democratic-leaning league, with 67.5% of players registered as Democrats, 30.2% as independents, and just 2.3% as Republicans. In the National Basketball Association (NBA), 42.9% were Democrats, 45.9% independents, 10% Republicans, and 1.2% affiliated with other parties.
Major League Baseball (MLB) showed a Republican majority, with 53.7% of players registered as Republicans, 36.4% as independents, 7.8% as Democrats, and 2.1% as other. The National Hockey League (NHL) also leaned Republican, with 43.9% Republican, 48.6% independent, 5.6% Democratic, and 1.9% other.
The National Football League (NFL) was more evenly split: 44.3% independents, 34.3% Democrats, 20.2% Republicans, and 1.2% other. VoteHub noted that athletes identifying as independents may be concealing their true affiliations due to fame, and that the results mirror broader political sorting in the US.
