NAACP calls for boycott of Southern college sports programs over voting rights
“Out of Bounds” campaign urges prospective Black athletes, their families, alumni and fans to “withhold athletic and financial support” from major public universities in states that “have moved to limit, weaken or erase Black voting representation.”
Olivia Bennett 
The NAACP has officially launched the “Out of Bounds” campaign, a strategic initiative urging Black athletes, families, alumni, and fans to withdraw all athletic and financial support from major public universities in states identified as having moved to restrict, weaken, or erase Black voting representation.
A High-Stakes Boycott
This bold move, announced Tuesday, directly targets the athletic programs of flagship public universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and South Carolina. By calling for this boycott, the NAACP aims to address a wave of redistricting and gerrymandering that has followed a Supreme Court ruling which weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
If successful, the campaign could dramatically shift the landscape for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
Leveraging Athletic Influence
NAACP President Derrick Johnson emphasized the significant role Black athletes play in the success of these programs. “Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America,” Johnson said, noting that these programs generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue and prestige powered by Black talent.
“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 added.
Congressional Pressure
The pushback is extending beyond the NAACP. On Monday, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) took formal steps to increase pressure on major conferences. The group sent a letter to SEC and ACC commissioners, along with NCAA President Charlie Baker, stating that they will oppose the SCORE Act—a bill aimed at standardizing athletic contracting rights—unless conference leadership takes a stance against GOP-led redistricting efforts.
“The Congressional Black Caucus believes institutions that profit from Black talent and Black communities have a responsibility to stand with those communities when their fundamental rights are under attack,” the CBC stated. “Silence in the face of injustice is not neutrality — it is complicity.”
As reported by The Associated Press, activists continue to seek out leverage points to combat redistricting, ranging from mass protests to economic boycotts, as they aim to challenge the elimination of majority-Black congressional districts throughout the region.
