Everyone wants to know right now: what does a Donald J. Trump Presidency mean…for soccer?
How will repealing the Affordable Care Act, which would leave countless millions uninsured, affect US player development? How will the potential detainment and deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants affect Major League Soccer TV ratings? What does Trump’s climate change denial and energy policy mean for the prospect of cheaper chartered air flights for U.S. soccer clubs? What does the re-establishment of the House Un-American Activities Committee and the extrajudicial detainment of suspected “terrorists” groups which could include local advocacy groups mean for the US’ ability to organize international friendlies?
What does the appointment of far right, reactionary Supreme Court justices mean for the future of Major League Soccer’s single entity status under the Frasier ruling? How would Trump’s tax plan, which would see the top 1 percent of income households earn a rise in after-tax incomes by 10.2 to 13 percent, affect the baseline rate for M.L.S franchise fees?
How would the construction of a wall on the U.S. southern border improve the excitement of the ‘Dos a Cero’ U.S. Mexico national team rivalry? How would the further militarization of metropolitan police forces and the expansion of police powers affect stadium security? How would a religious requirement for U.S. entry and a ban on Muslim visitors to the United States affect the designated player rule? What does Trump’s empowerment of the alt right white nationalist movement mean for soccer’s burgeoning popularity among young Americans? How will Trump’s casual misogyny affect the long-term prospects of the NWSL?
How will the U.S.’s abandonment of NATO agreements affect the Premier League? How would a knee jerk nuclear conflict and the abandonment of ‘no first use’ nuclear policy mean for the global player transfer market? Would the American imposition of tariffs on Chinese goods slow the import of European stars to China? Will American fans find it easier to get visas to Russia 2018 if the United States abandons Balkan states to Russian aggression as a thank you for an election assist?
Would the reversal of normalization of relations with Cuba affect corner kicks somehow? Will the shuttering of federally funded science initiatives have some influence on your fantasy team maybe? Would the upheaval of once stable democratic institutions and the world’s dark return to authoritarian rule and suppression of democratic rights and freedoms influence how teams of eleven people each kick a ball for 90 minutes?
These are the questions that truly matter right now.