*The NAACP is urging Black athletes and supporters to reconsider backing major public universities in several Southern states as part of a new campaign tied to voting rights concerns.
The civil rights organization’s “Out of Bounds” initiative focuses on states where leaders say Black political representation is being weakened through redistricting efforts, the Associated Press reports.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and South Carolina were identified in the campaign. According to the NAACP, universities in those states depend heavily on Black athletes to sustain nationally recognized football and basketball programs while lawmakers pursue policies the group argues diminish Black voting influence.
NAACP President Derrick Johnson criticized Republican-led legislatures across the South. He accused those states of “seeking to reinstitute a sharecropping reality” by benefiting from Black athletic talent while restricting “our ability to elect candidates of our choice.”
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The organization’s appeal extends beyond athletes currently being recruited. Families, alumni, and fans are also being encouraged to withhold financial contributions and other support from affected universities. If embraced widely, the effort could create challenges for powerhouse programs within the Southeastern Conference and Atlantic Coast Conference, both of which feature rosters filled with Black athletes.
Johnson also emphasized the financial impact Black athletes have on the college sports industry, which generates billions through television agreements, ticket sales, and institutional branding. “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,” Johnson said.
He further warned that participation in major sports programs could become part of a broader political response. “We will fight with all we have in solidarity with the Congressional Black Caucus to ensure that we have representation, or if we don’t, we will withhold the talent that plays on the football field or on the basketball court, be they male or female,” Johnson told reporters in front of the U.S. Capitol.
The campaign arrives as civil rights groups and Democratic lawmakers continue challenging proposed congressional district changes through protests and legal action across Southern states.
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