November 8th has finally arrived, and Americans are voting in all 50 states to elect either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton as the 45th President of the United States.
While the Republican and Democrat candidates have been travelling around the country looking to gather votes, both Trump and Clinton have done all they can to receive endorsements from well-known Americans.
One group to keep their voices quiet have been sports stars. The most high-profile endorsements came last week, when the Cleveland Cavaliers duo of LeBron James and JR Smith spoke in Ohio at a Hillary Clinton rally.
Very few sports stars have given endorsements, but it is well known how players from specific sports tend to vote, and whether they are predominantly Republicans or Democrats.
The PGA Tour is widely acknowledged as a very Republican place. Despite being an avid golfer himself, Barack Obama's re-election in 2012 was not warmly received by PGA Tour players.
Former Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger, was one of the most vociferous in his annoyance at Mitt Romney's defeat.
Republican congress must to stand firm for capitalism. Potus either moves to the center or nothing will change. Conservatives stay strong!
— Paul Azinger (@PaulAzinger) November 7, 2012
In November, ESPN ran an anonymous survey with just under 100 athletes from the NBA, WNBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. The results were contrasting and striking.
According to the article, players from the NBA, NFL and NHL tend to "lean right more than left", pointing towards support for Mr. Trump. Of those surveyed, 32.6% considered themselves Democrats. 28.4% and Republicans and 38.9% and Independent/Others.
A Bleacher Report poll from last month, claimed that Trump is "tearing the NFL apart", claiming that players of different races, had almost polar opposite views of who they will support. White voters are leaning towards Trump, with black voters favouring Clinton.
Among the most vociferous Trump supporters is Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan. The 53-year-old introduced Trump at a rally in Buffalo in April.
As recently as Monday evening, Trump revealed that New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady had voted for him. The two men are friend and have been regularly pictured together. Despite Trump's revelation, Brady claims he has not yet voted.
.@realDonaldTrump tells New Hampshire crowd that Tom Brady called to say he voted for Trump https://t.co/9gJY87hhON https://t.co/VxFmoOAj8w
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 8, 2016
While Brady is the posterboy of the NFL, Clinton seems to have the NBA stars supporting her. Along with LeBron James' help at the weekend, Steph Curry has also given his support to the former Secretary of State.
There will be plenty of tense locker rooms in America come Wednesday morning. Whatever happens, there will be happy sports stars with the result. There will also be plenty who will want the next four years to end as soon as possible.
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