{"id":1924,"date":"2026-05-19T18:41:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/05\/19\/naacp-urges-boycott-of-college-sports-in-south-over-voting-rights\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T18:41:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T18:41:44","slug":"naacp-urges-boycott-of-college-sports-in-south-over-voting-rights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=1924","title":{"rendered":"NAACP urges boycott of college sports in south over voting rights"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"border-color:var(--article-border);background-color:var(--article-inner-background)\" class=\"dcr-wqti5a\">\n<div class=\"dcr-2zxs1v\">\n<div style=\"--grid-area:media\" data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tr9ye5\">\n<figure id=\"ebf1b604-8888-4e44-8474-875adc08a1c2\" class=\"dcr-142siv7\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t8m8f2\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a person holds a sign that reads 'protect our vote'\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/4037217b9dfd35a660ef0c0f2c655d2f7bb8bafa\/0_0_4000_2667\/master\/4000.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310.03875\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-evn1e9\"><span class=\"dcr-v822l1\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-gup2gr\">\n<div class=\"dcr-fntg6k\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-1xgwz8b\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1os51wo\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Demonstrators outside the US supreme court on 15 October 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Eric Lee\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-13fd1ms\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"ebf1b604-8888-4e44-8474-875adc08a1c2\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-4tmywn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-194i6pr\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-n4pnam\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1hdkqum\"><span class=\"dcr-hvsf4t\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1qvd3m6\">Demonstrators outside the US supreme court on 15 October 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Eric Lee\/Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:border\" data-gu-name=\"border\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:headline\" data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-14emo0l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1aqe7zu\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-1k1a1x\">NAACP urges boycott of college sports in south over voting rights<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:standfirst\" data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1fnjjtg\">\n<div class=\"dcr-15in7js\">\n<p>Eight states have moved to draw new maps after supreme court ruling that severely weakened the Voting Rights Act<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:body\" data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-kn9unn\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1a4fred\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-ydnaza\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-1c9t5u6\">\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The NAACP on Tuesday launched a campaign urging Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to boycott athletic programs of public universities in states that \u201chave moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In the <a href=\"https:\/\/naacp.org\/articles\/naacp-calls-black-athletes-fans-withhold-support-public-schools-states-attacking-black\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announcement<\/a> of the \u201cOut of Bounds\u201d campaign, the civil rights giant name-checked eight states \u2013 Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia \u2013 whose flagship public athletic programs generate more than $100m in annual revenue. Each of those states has <a href=\"https:\/\/dian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/14\/southern-states-redistricting-electoral-maps-black-voting-power\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">moved to draw new maps to limit<\/a> Black voting representation, following the supreme court\u2019s Louisiana v Callais decision severely weakening the Voting Rights Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cWhat these states have done is not a policy disagreement. It is a sprint to erase Black political power,\u201d Derrick Johnson, President &amp; CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement. \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The campaign calls on football and basketball players who are currently being actively recruited by targeted programs to withhold their commitments until the states \u201crestore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation,\u201d to ask coaches and athletic directors at targeted programs where their universities stand on voting rights and to visit and seriously consider committing to athletic programs at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Athletes who are already enrolled at targeted programs are being asked to use their platforms to elevate fair voting maps and voting rights, to ask their university\u2019s leadership to release public statements opposing racial vote dilution and to consider their options \u2013 including entering the transfer portal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">The campaign asks non-athletes, like fans, alumni and donors, to stop financially supporting targeted programs by not purchasing tickets, merchandise or licensed apparel. Instead, the NAACP asks them to use those resources to support athletic programs, scholarship funds, bands and alumni foundations at HBCUs.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cThe state that is working to erase your grandmother\u2019s congressional district is the same state whose governor will stand on the field and celebrate your touchdown or game-winning shot,\u201d Tylik McMillan, national director of the NAACP\u2019s youth and college division, said in a statement. \u201cWe are asking young people \u2013 recruits, current athletes, fans \u2013 to see that connection clearly and to act on it. The Out of Bounds campaign is about redirecting what has always been ours, power and perseverance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Recent history has seen some successful precedents for political pressure by athletes on their universities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">In 2020, athletes in programs across <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/mississippi\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Mississippi<\/a> spoke out against the state\u2019s flag, which, at the time, included the Confederate battle emblem. Mississippi ultimately changed the flag.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">And in 2015, members of the University of Missouri\u2019s football team, including the coaching staff, joined a campus-wide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/college\/2020\/11\/05\/missouri-protests-daily-cover\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">student protest <\/a>following racist incidents at the university. Black football players said that they <a href=\"https:\/\/socialmovements.trinity.duke.edu\/actions\/university-missouri-2015-football-protest.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">would not participate<\/a> in football related activities until the college\u2019s president resigned.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">\u201cOut of Bounds\u201d is the latest response by voting rights activists since the Callais decision came down last month and states began redistricting.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">On Monday, the Congressional Black Caucus <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CongressionalBlackCaucus\/posts\/black-athletes-have-helped-build-college-athletics-into-one-of-the-most-powerful\/1546604300160992\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> it would oppose the Score Act, a bill to standardize athletes\u2019 contracting rights nationwide. \u201cThe Congressional Black Caucus cannot support legislation benefiting major athletic institutions that continue to remain silent while Black voting rights and Black political power are being systematically dismantled across the South,\u201d read a CBC statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-130mj7b\">Over the weekend, thousands gathered in Montgomery, Alabama, for<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/16\/alabama-black-voting-rights-protest\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"> \u201cAll Roads Lead to the South,\u201d<\/a> a rally to promote voting rights. During the rally, multiple speakers called for mass protests and economic boycotts, strategies that have been successful in securing voting rights previously.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-qxqnsy\"><span class=\"dcr-1rq3vad\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-1dzx48f\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-1rrvs2w\">\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-voting-rights\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US voting rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/tennessee\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Tennessee<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/louisiana\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Louisiana<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/alabama\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Alabama<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/florida\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Florida<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/mississippi\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">Mississippi<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-hj8byr\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-1gwziyt\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-nu129i\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=NAACP%20urges%20boycott%20of%20college%20sports%20in%20south%20over%20voting%20rights&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/naacp-boycott-college-sports-south-voting-rights?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-125qj9d\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-zhx6xs\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fmay%2F19%2Fnaacp-boycott-college-sports-south-voting-rights&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/may\/19\/naacp-boycott-college-sports-south-voting-rights\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-14rjinq\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"--grid-area:right-column\" data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-1h2hraq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-tn16h9\">\n<section class=\"dcr-1hko8ef\"><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Demonstrators outside the US supreme court on 15 October 2025. Photograph: Eric Lee\/Bloomberg via Getty Images View image<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":1926,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1924","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1924","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1924"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1924\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1926"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1924"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1924"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1924"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}