The NAACP launched a campaign called "Out of Bounds" on Tuesday, urging Black athletes, families, alumni, and fans to "stop their athletic and financial support" for major public universities in states that have "taken steps to limit, weaken, or eliminate Black voting representation."
The targeted states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and South Carolina — all Southern states that have moved or are seeking to redraw electoral districts following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in April that weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.
Voting rights activists say the ruling makes it harder to challenge congressional district maps alleged to dilute the voting power of Black and minority voters. Black voters historically lean Democratic, and Republican-controlled legislatures in the South have led a wave of redistricting after the Supreme Court decision.
A boycott by Black athletes would heavily impact the powerhouse football and basketball programs of the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference. "Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most lucrative collegiate athletic programs in America," NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement.
He added that these programs "generate hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue, national television exposure, alumni donations, merchandise sales, ticket revenue, and brand value — largely thanks to Black football and basketball talent."
"Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those states strip political power from Black communities," Johnson said.
Some states have already moved to redraw districts following the Supreme Court ruling, with a few even pausing primary elections to redraw maps. Other states are expected to redraw districts after the midterm elections in November this year, which will determine control of the U.S. House and Senate.
The Voting Rights Act was first passed in 1965 to prevent discriminatory practices used in Southern states — and some Northern ones — to disenfranchise Black voters.
