Orlando Magic swears $50K it gave to Ron DeSantis wasn’t meant to be, like, political or anything

The Orlando Magic are one of many NBA teams that celebrate an annual Pride Night. But the club’s recent donation in support of maybe the most anti-gay governor in the nation flies in the face of LGBTQ+ inclusivity.

A new filing with federal regulators shows the Magic gifted $50,000 to a super PAC that supports the presidential bid of Ron “Don’t Say Gay” DeSantis. The group, Never Back Down, regularly pushes homophobic tropes and talking points.

Despite those facts, the Magic say their donation was apolitical and had nothing to do with DeSantis himself.

“This gift was given before Governor DeSantis entered the presidential race,” a team spokesperson said in a statement. “It was given as a Florida business in support of a Florida governor for the continued prosperity of Central Florida.”

But that explanation doesn’t fly for a couple of reasons.

First, the donation was made to a political action committee, which makes it inherently political.

Second, it’s extremely rare for an NBA club to put its name on a political donation. And by “extremely rare” we mean it has only happened once before, when the Phoenix Suns donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican National Committee in the 1990s, according to the New York Times.

The Magic are believed to be the first NBA team to ever financially back a presidential candidate.

And third, it’s not like DeSantis only started spouting anti-LGBTQ+ views after he launched his presidential campaign.

As Florida governor, he’s outlawed discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity among all grade levels, banned gender-confirming care for minors and made it illegal for transgender people to use public restrooms that are in accordance with their gender identity.

Many on social media were quick to point that out.

What happened to keeping politics out of sports that the right cries so much?— Michael LoRé (@michaellore) August 1, 2023

It’s not surprising that Orlando’s ownership supports DeSantis and his hard-right agenda. The DeVos Family, who are GOP mega-donors, own the team. (Betsy DeVos, the daughter-in-law of the club’s former chairman, was Donald Trump‘s education secretary.)

Sports owners backing conservative politicians is nothing new. But it is unprecedented for an actual team, especially given DeSantis’ war on social justice causes, which the NBA claims to support.

When the Magic held their Pride Night last March, they hosted the “Orlando Gay Chorus,” served Pride-themed concessions and honored LGBTQ+ activist Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet.

But with the team supporting DeSantis, those initiatives now seem hollow and performative.

The contradictions are endless. The NBA has publicly endorsed abortion rights, while DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban, one of the most restrictive measures in the country.

Seven years ago, the league pulled its All-Star Game out of North Carolina to protest the state’s “bathroom bill;” and yet, DeSantis recently signed one of his own.

And those examples don’t even touch on racial justice issues. The Magic have a majority Black roster, Black head coach, and Black general manager.

Meanwhile, DeSantis champions the idea that slavery had personal benefits. In recent weeks, the flailing governor has even attacked Black Republicans for pushing back on his state’s new curriculum.

On Thursday, the NBA Players’ Association objected to the Magic’s controversial contribution. The group called the team’s donation “alarming.”

But the Magic’s support of DeSantis isn’t only insulting to its fans and employees. It’s also counter-productive. Disney is one of the team’s sponsors, and league’s broadcast partners.

DeSantis, of course, is mired in a prolonged feud with the company over its opposition to the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” legislation.

Oh, and did we mention that donating $50,000 to help DeSantis’ presidential bid is completely futile? He’s getting trounced in the polls, and his campaign is in shambles.

Then again, it isn’t surprising the Magic are backing a loser. They’ve only posted one winning season over the last decade.

It looks like another “L” is getting added to their resume.