The NAACP launched a sweeping campaign Tuesday targeting major college athletic programs in the South, asking Black athletes, fans and donors to boycott universities in states accused of dismantling Black voting power through new congressional maps.
The "Out of Bounds" initiative focuses on eight states: Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia. All have redrawn voting districts following a Supreme Court decision that gutted key protections under the Voting Rights Act, according to the civil rights organization.
The flagship public universities in these states operate lucrative athletic programs that collectively generate more than $100 million annually in revenue. The NAACP argues these institutions benefit enormously from Black athletes while remaining silent as their home states strip voting representation from Black communities.
"What these states have done is not a policy disagreement. It is a sprint to erase Black political power," said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. "The NAACP will not watch the same institutions that depend on Black athletic prowess to fill their stadiums and their bank accounts remain silent while their states strip Black communities of their voice."
The campaign directs high school recruits to withhold commitments to targeted programs until states restore fair voting maps and meaningful Black representation. Current athletes are urged to use their platforms to advocate for voting rights, push university leadership to issue public statements against racial vote dilution, and consider transferring to other schools if their institutions stay silent.
Fans, alumni and donors face different asks: stop buying tickets, merchandise and apparel from targeted programs, and redirect those resources to historically Black colleges and universities instead.
Tylik McMillan, national director of the NAACP's youth and college division, framed the campaign as a test of athlete power. "The state that is working to erase your grandmother's congressional district is the same state whose governor will stand on the field and celebrate your touchdown or game-winning shot," McMillan said in a statement. "We are asking young people to see that connection clearly and to act on it."
Recent campus activism has shown such pressure can work. In 2020, Mississippi athletes spoke out against their state flag because it incorporated the Confederate battle emblem, prompting officials to change it. Five years earlier, University of Missouri football players and coaches joined protests after racist incidents on campus, with Black athletes threatening not to participate in team activities until the university president resigned. That president ultimately stepped down.
The NAACP's move follows similar action from Congress. On Monday, the Congressional Black Caucus announced it would oppose the Score Act, legislation meant to standardize athlete contracting rights nationwide, saying it cannot support measures that benefit major athletic institutions remaining silent on voting rights dismantling.
Voting rights momentum has built beyond Washington. Over the weekend, thousands gathered in Montgomery, Alabama for a rally called "All Roads Lead to the South," where speakers called for mass protests and economic boycotts as proven strategies for securing voting protections.
Author James Rodriguez: "The NAACP is weaponizing the one leverage Black athletes actually have, and that's a move worth watching."
Comments