Major Sports Figures Donated at Least $15M to Second Trump Inauguration

The Federal Election Commission published a list of donors to President Donald Trump’s second inauguration late Sunday night, and the list is littered with wealthy individuals and corporations with deep ties to U.S. sports.

Dallas Mavericks owner Miriam Adelson and Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta each donated $1 million to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee. Adelson and Fertitta hosted a reception for the inauguration, along with Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts and his wife, Sylvie Légère, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Ricketts; his mother, Marlene; and his father, Joe; combined for $1.6 million to the inaugural committee.

The inaugural committee raised more than $239 million, according to federal election records, more than double the previous record of $107 million set by Trump in 2017. Front Office Sports analyzed the records and found more than $15 million of those donations came from team owners, betting companies, and other sports figures. 

There are a range of reasons why a given contributor might donate to the inaugural committee, from currying favor with the incoming president to building their network or supporting a longtime ally. Fertitta, for instance, is Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Italy. Adelson was a major player in the 2024 elections, putting about $100 million behind her Preserve America political action committee, backing Trump’s campaign and tens of millions more to Republican Senate and House races.

The list of figures included in the filings may be more notable for who was not named than who was. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and UFC president Dana White are examples of names who were not featured in the filings. A spokesperson for the Dallas Cowboys reiterated to FOS on Monday that Jones contributed to the inauguration, despite his name not showing up. White, who attended the inauguration but was not included in the FEC filing, has explained his support of Trump in past public comments, including during a post-election victory rally in January: “He embodies what being an American is all about,” White said.

Most entities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Below, FOS breaks down what we do know, including who donated and how much.

Team Owners

In addition to Adelson, Fertitta, and the Ricketts family, a number of entities tied to pro sports team ownership infused Trump’s inaugural committee with cash. Individual contributions from members of the DeVos family, who owns the Orlando Magic, totaled $1 million. Dan DeVos, who serves as chairman of the Magic, gave $250,000; Betsy DeVos, who is Dan’s sister-in-law and was Trump’s secretary of education during his first term, put forth $125,000; Dick, Doug and Maria DeVos each gave $125,000; and Suzanne DeVos gave $250,000.

Leading up to the 2024 election, the DeVos family donated nearly $12 million to Republican causes, giving more than $1 million to Republicans nationwide and maxing out $3,300 contributions to dozens of GOP House and Senate candidates.

Major companies with ties to sports ownership also threw money at the inaugural committee. Comcast Corp., whose Spectacor subsidiary owns the Philadelphia Flyers, gave $1 million. Walmart, which is roughly 46% owned by the Walton-Penner family group who owns the Denver Broncos, provided $150,000. Rob Walton was one of the prolific sports owner donors in the 2024 election cycle, giving $20.5 million to Republicans in this cycle. Carrie Walton Penner, who is Rob Walton’s daughter and the wife of Broncos controlling owner Greg Penner, gave $1 million to the Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC leading up to the election.

Eldridge Business Services, whose CEO Todd Boehly is a co-controlling owner and chairman of Chelsea FC and also part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, among other teams, contributed $1 million.

Delaware North Companies, which owns the Boston Bruins and their arena, among other sports venue holdings, gave $50,000.

Notable Individuals

Other notable sports industry names chipped in. WWE cofounder Linda McMahon, who is Trump’s Secretary of Education this time around, donated $1 million to the inaugural committee. McMahon, who was head of Trump’s Small Business Administration from 2017 to 2019, gave $23.1 million to Republican causes ahead of the 2024 election, according to The Washington Post. She chairs a pro-Trump think tank and has given millions to his PACs.

Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin, who has given millions to U.S. Soccer, pledged $1 million to the inaugural committee. Griffin, like McMahon, was a major donor to Republicans during the election cycle. He gave roughly $100 million total to individuals and causes, according to analysis from OpenSecrets, which tracks money in politics.

Sports-Tied Companies

The two major sports betting companies, DraftKings and FanDuel, donated to Trump’s inaugural committee. DraftKings gave $502,000, while FanDuel provided about $482,000.

A FanDuel spokesperson tells FOS that “participation at the inauguration is part of FanDuel’s regular government affairs activities. The inauguration provides FanDuel an opportunity to meet with state legislators from across the country in one place at the same time to discuss opportunities to collaborate on growing a legalized and regulated gaming market.”

Oak View Group, which manages hundreds of sports venues, including Climate Pledge Arena, home of the Seattle Storm and Kraken, donated $250,000.

Robinhood, which has made waves in the sports world recently through partnerships with controversial exchange operator Kalshi, donated $2 million. Live Nation, which is facing a federal lawsuit lodged by the Joe Biden–era U.S. Department of Justice that seeks to unwind its merger with Ticketmaster, contributed $500,000.

The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, which co-owns recently launched MLS franchise San Diego FC, contributed $500,000.

Blackstone, which is among the biggest private equity firms in the world and is part of one of the groups approved by the NFL to begin investing in teams, donated $1 million to the inaugural committee. One of Blackstone’s top executives, David Blitzer, cofounded Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which owns the Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, and Washington Commanders. A representative for Blackstone declined to comment Monday.