The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is calling on black athletes and fans to boycott the athletic programs of public universities in states that are redrawing congressional maps to redistrict Democratic lawmakers, many who are black.
"The NAACP today launched the 'Out of Bounds' campaign, a national call for black athletes, families, fans, alumni, and consumers to withhold athletic and financial support from public universities in states that have moved to limit, weaken, or erase black voting representation in the wake of the Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais," Tuesday's press release states.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) says the boycott is meant to oppose "a dramatic return to racially oppressive Jim Crow-like tactics," though he added that athletes would have the support of lawmakers and civil rights leaders in whatever they decide.
This economic boycott aims to apply pressure to Republican-led state legislatures. The NAACP has identified eight priority states — Tennessee, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Georgia — and targeted flagship public athletic programs that the organization says "continue to recruit black athletes while their state governments dismantle the political power of black communities."
NewBostonPost sportswriter Tom Joyce calls the campaign "silly." Considering the opportunities and money involved with an offer from a Power Five school, he does not expect student athletes to participate in the boycott.
"You're not really going to be able to get that collective unity of people making a sacrifice in favor of the liberal cause when it would come at the cost of losing out on NIL money and scholarships and even academic opportunities," he submits.
NIL money refers to compensation college athletes receive for the use of their name, image and likeness. Prior to 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) prohibited student athletes from earning any money beyond scholarships to preserve their "amateur" status, but a 2021 Supreme Court ruling now allows them to legally monetize their personal brand through commercial activities while remaining eligible for college sports.
The NAACP wants athletes, fans and donors to show more love and attention to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Florida A&M University, Jackson State University and Texas Southern University, but Joyce does not think this is the way to promote them.
"In this day and age, when NIL money matters so much, it's going to be 'show me the money,'" he submits. "That's how you're going to get top athletes at your schools these days."
While former NFL player and Athletes.org CEO Brandon Copeland was mentioned by the Associated Press as supporting the broader campaign, those HBCUs have not issued official statements responding to the boycott call.
According to TheSideline.com, the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference boast six of the 10 and eight of the 15 biggest NIL spenders in college sports so far in 2026.
It remains to be seen if athletes, fans and/or donors will listen to the NAACP and potentially miss out on the benefits that come with being associated with those giants in the collegiate sports world.
