DETROIT (AP) — Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson cast her vote at the Detroit Pistons’ training facility. About 12 hours later, she saw metal boxes on wheels with ballots inside roll into Ford Field for double checking.
“I’m grateful for our sports partners in Detroit,” Benson said Tuesday night at the home of the Lions. “They really led the way for sports teams across the country to play a critical role in providing the resources we needed to run the election successfully this year.
“It is something that I hope will continue in the years ahead and really underscores the work that went into today, which was truly a team effort.”
The coronavirus pandemic put stresses on the general election, so professional sports teams stepped up to offer their stadiums, arenas and practice facilities as socially distant spaces to vote and conduct other election-related activities.
Twenty-plus NBA teams and half of the NFL’s 32 franchises provided a place for people to vote or assisted with the process in other ways. Meanwhile, many Major League Baseball and NHL teams also put their stadiums and arenas in play on Election Day.
“This is a shining moment to have sports teams all over the country making a commitment to help people vote because that’s the most important non-violent tool in our democracy,” Pistons Vice Chairman Arn Tellem said after he and Detroit coach Dwane Casey watched Benson put her ballot in a drop box steps from the entrance to the team’s training facility. “Sports teams bring people together from all backgrounds and at their best, inspire us and encourage us to unite.”
Before returning to Sacramento, California, on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Gavin Newsom greeted and thanked poll workers at the Golden State Warriors’ facility in downtown Oakland.
“Three things in the world that really bring people together — music, food and sports,” Warriors guard Damion Lee said after beating Newsom in a “PIG” shooting game. “For us to use our platform, for the Warriors to open up their facility — that’s the true sense of democracy.”
For voters across the country, opening the arenas and stadiums gave them another option for casting their ballots — a quicker one at times. It also afforded an opportunity to enter some venues that have been relegated to hosting fan-free games during the pandemic, if they have been occupied at all since the spring.
“It’s a great idea,” John Schmit said outside Chicago’s United Center. “I’m a Blackhawks fan. I haven’t been here in six months.”
Outside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, home of the NBA’s Cavaliers, the line to vote wrapped around the building’s glass exterior early Tuesday. By late morning, the pace had slowed considerably, but there was a steady stream of voters stepping into stalls inside the arena’s large atriums to fill out ballots.
The building hasn’t hosted any games or concerts since mid-March due to the pandemic.
“It was nice to come here and see that it’s actually being used for something that’s worthwhile,” Cleveland resident Ian Crawford, sporting an Indians cap, said after he exited the arena.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, whose district includes parts of Detroit, recently said it’s appropriate for taxpayer-funded sports facilities to play a part in the election process.
But it didn’t go off without a hitch.
