WASHINGTON – The NAACP has recently launched a campaign called “Out of Bounds,” urging Black athletes and their supporters to boycott athletic programs at public universities in certain states. This movement is a response to what the NAACP describes as actions that limit Black voting rights.
The campaign, which kicked off on Tuesday, targets states that have implemented measures to restrict or undermine Black voting representation. The NAACP is asking prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni, and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in these areas. This could significantly impact popular college football and basketball teams, especially in conferences like the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
This initiative comes as civil rights activists mobilize across the South, protesting against redistricting efforts led by Republican state legislatures. These efforts have been criticized for eliminating majority-Black congressional districts, particularly following a Supreme Court ruling that weakened a key part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson highlighted the significant role Black athletes play in building highly profitable college athletic programs, which generate substantial revenue through television deals, ticket sales, and merchandise. “Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” he stated.
The NAACP specifically calls out states such as Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and South Carolina. The organization argues that these states’ flagship universities heavily rely on Black athletic talent and should therefore advocate for Black political interests.
Johnson emphasized the importance of this message, saying, “Black athletes should not be asked to generate wealth, prestige, and power for state institutions while those same states strip political power from Black communities.” This sentiment is echoed by Black lawmakers, who are also pushing athletic leagues to address these issues.
On Monday, members of the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to leaders of the SEC and ACC, as well as NCAA President Charlie Baker. They expressed their intention to oppose the SCORE Act, a proposed bill to standardize athletes’ contracting rights, unless the conference leaders take a stand against the redistricting efforts in states that are home to major conference members.
The Congressional Black Caucus stated, “The institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack. Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”
