The Glazers, Donald Trump, and a US problem for Manchester United

While the Donald Trump/Kamala Harris race for the White House divided a nation, for Manchester United owners, the Glazer family, they hedged their bets.

The United States has long been an important market for the Premier League and its biggest clubs, and United were the club to really begin the overseas summer tour in earnest in the early 2000s, their success under Sir Alex Ferguson giving them brand recognition Stateside, even if the game itself was struggling to cut through with an American audience.

Last week saw Republican Trump re-elected as US President, with the 78-year-old to take office in the White House in January.

According to the individual contributions list on the Federal Election Commission website, which details those who have donated money to political causes, Avram Glazer donated some $3.4m to the Harris bid, while Edward Glazer backed Trump’s bid for power to the tune of $2m.

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Playing both sides sees the Glazers hedge their bets a little when it comes to who is in the White House, with the incumbent having an impact on their business dealings, something which could come to pass with Trump and the Premier League when he takes office.

There is a reason why the US has been viewed as fertile ground. For decades, the US had been seen as a nut too tough to crack for English football despite its sports-obsessed population. The existence of several major leagues in various sports, such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL, meant that finding a way for ‘soccer’ to cut through was very difficult indeed.

But there has been a significant shift in attitude towards football in recent years.