For those who love to experience the thrills and disappointments of a game, where we watch it from is a temple. The couch serves as a temporary escape from problems outside the game. It is one of the few places where people of all nationalities, races and religions come together.
The election of President Donald Trump will negatively impact the sports world. The shock-wave of his presidency will not only be felt by the fans but by teams across the country as well.
Across the five major American sports leagues (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS) there are nearly 1,000 foreign born athletes. Per a report published by MLS’ LA Galaxy back in March of 2016, nearly half of MLS players (45.8 percent), were born outside of the U.S. and Canada. MLB totaled the highest number of foreign born players (291 of its 1083) players born abroad. These numbers don’t include how many foreign players represent collegiate sports programs or women’s professional sports league.
President Donald Trump has stirs up plenty of controversy, from his comments regarding women and foreign immigrates to the executive orders he has signed since being in office. While controversial, his actions have brought measurable and in some cases immediate impacts.
The U.S is currently bidding to host both the 2024 Olympics and the 2026 World Cup. The election of President Trump will only hinder their chances at hosting these events. With international athletes coming in from around the world, the selection committees will surely have concerns about hosting these events in the United States.
It will be difficult to convince officials to hold these world renowned events in a country where their leader is being discriminatory. In particular, President Trump has alienated the representatives of Mexico after insisting building a wall and saying Mexico will be paying for it.
There’s also the issue of travel for foreign born athletes such as Luol Deng and Thon Maker of the NBA. Both of who were born in Sudan.
With many athletes taking issue with what President Trump has said, there will be a movement that will affect the leagues and cause a divide. This divide will not only affect the teams and the players but also the fans, for our temple will soon cease to exist.
Marc Wilson can be reached at [email protected] or theorion_sports on Twitter.
