Kamala Harris’ campaign is supported by Dawn Staley, Magic Johnson, Billie Jean King and Candace Parker

The era in which sports and politics were separated is becoming a thing of the past.

Democratic presidential candidate and current vice president Kamala Harris announced on Saturday that she has created the “Athletes for Harris” group, headed by 10 prominent American sports figures, including two with ties to Philadelphia: women’s basketball legend Dawn Staley and Eagles guard Thomas Booker.

Staley has long been outspoken on issues beyond the basketball court and has known Harris for some time. Harris visited one of Staley’s practices in January with the South Carolina women’s basketball team, and Staley was in attendance on the final night of the Democratic National Convention last month when Harris delivered the acceptance speech.

Booker is playing on the Eagles’ 53-man roster for the first time after being on the practice squad last season. He has been a public advocate against gun violence and was invited to the White House for an event on the topic in June.

“I think when people see people step outside of their specific professional framework and do things they care about to help others, everyone knows, ‘Why wouldn’t I stick to my principles if this person feels the same way?’” Booker said The Inquirer earlier this month. “I think ultimately leading by example is extremely important and extremely effective in today’s society.”

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Co-chairs also include basketball player Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Steve Kerr (who spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month), Chris Paul, Candace Parker and former 76ers head coach Doc Rivers; football player Ali Krieger, a Penn State graduate; tennis Billie Jean King; and Paralympic swimmer Ali Truwit.

“I have known Vice President Harris for over 25 years and she can be counted on to deliver on what she promises,” Johnson said in a statement included in the campaign announcement. “All athletes: don’t be afraid to use your platforms – we need your commitment.”

Last Monday, Krieger was at the White House President Biden honored Gotham FC for winning last year’s NWSL championship. For the first time, a professional women’s soccer team received an honor so often bestowed upon sports title winners. Krieger played for Gotham last year, the final season of a career that included world titles in 2015 and 2019.

Coincidentally, Staley’s Gamecocks also visited earlier this month to honor last season’s title.

» READ MORE: Why might last season have been the best coaching job of Dawn Staley’s career?

Harris’ campaign announcement said the sports group “will focus on recruiting other athletes to help the campaign through travel, fundraising and the use of social media platforms to raise the stakes in this election.”

The campaign has already featured a slew of TV sports ads, with more to come, starting with Saturday’s college football games and Major League Baseball games.

College football’s biggest games include two prime-time games on network television: Illinois at Penn State (7:30 p.m., NBC10) and Alabama at Georgia Stadium (7:30 p.m., 6abc). The main character of the afternoon meeting will be Minnesota in Michigan (noon, Fox29), in which Harris’ vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, is to take part; and Wisconsin in Southern California (3:30 p.m., CBS3).

The baseball offering includes a national prime-time broadcast in which Fox will watch a split between the New York Mets in Milwaukee (a game Fox29 will show here), a matchup of potential playoff opponents the Phillies and Baltimore in Minnesota.

Coincidentally, all of these teams cover several gigantic voting states – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin – and gigantic television markets in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.