Data: Morning Consult; Chart: Will Chase/Axios
MLB is the latest sports league to fall out of favor with Republicans following its decision to pull the All-Star Game out of Atlanta.
By the numbers: In mid-March, MLB's net favorability rating among Republicans was 47%, the highest of the four major U.S. sports leagues. Since then, it has plummeted to 12%, dropping the league below the NFL and NHL, according to new data from Morning Consult.
The big picture: "Baseball isn't the first sport to see its net favorability among Republicans significantly decrease as a result of ... embracing social justice issues," writes Morning Consult's Alex Silverman.
- "The NFL's popularity among Republicans took a major hit in 2017 after then-President Donald Trump rebuked NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem."
- "The NBA's stock hit new lows among Republicans last summer for its embrace of the Black Lives Matter movement."
Data: FiveThirtyEight/ESPN; Chart: Axios Visuals
Of note ... Republicans may be down on MLB, but baseball's billionaire owners certainly aren't down on them.
- Over the past three election cycles, MLB owners donated roughly $20.4 million to campaigns and super PACs.
- $15.2 million (74.5%) went to Republicans, while $5.2 million (25.5%) went to Democrats, per FiveThirtyEight and ESPN research.
