The NAACP is urging college and professional sports organizations to avoid holding major events in states where lawmakers advance measures the group says threaten voting rights, tying the economic and cultural power of sports directly to ballot access.
In an interview with NPR published May 10, NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson described the civil rights group’s new “Out of Bounds” campaign, which calls for a sports boycott in states that restrict voting access. Johnson framed the effort as a way to connect the leverage of Black student athletes and professional players to the ongoing fight over how Americans cast their ballots.
What the NAACP is Calling For
Speaking with NPR host Juana Summers, Johnson said the NAACP is asking sports leagues, colleges, and governing bodies to move games, tournaments, and marquee events away from states where legislators push or enact laws that the organization views as suppressing the vote.
Johnson linked the campaign specifically to Black student athletes, who make up a significant share of rosters in high-profile college sports. He argued, as reported by NPR, that these athletes generate substantial revenue for universities and conferences and therefore have influence over where and how those institutions do business.
By calling for a boycott, the NAACP is not asking players to quit their teams, according to the NPR interview. Instead, the group wants decision-makers — from conference commissioners to professional league executives — to reconsider placing championships, bowl games, and other high-visibility events in states where voting access is being narrowed.
Why Voting Rights and Sports Are Being Linked
Johnson told NPR that the Out of Bounds campaign is built on a straightforward idea: if states can benefit economically and reputationally from hosting major sporting events, they should also be accountable for laws that affect who can vote and how.
In the interview, he argued that voting rules are not an abstract policy fight for Black athletes and their families, but a direct factor in whether their communities have a say in public decisions. By drawing a line between athletic labor and ballot access, the NAACP is trying to make voting rights a core concern for athletic departments, conferences, and professional franchises.
NPR’s reporting emphasized that the campaign is aimed at states where the NAACP believes lawmakers are advancing measures that make it harder to vote. Johnson did not, in the portion of the interview highlighted by NPR, lay out a detailed list of states or specific bills, but he repeatedly framed the issue as one of basic democratic participation for Black voters.
The Role of Black Student Athletes
Johnson focused much of his conversation with NPR on Black student athletes, particularly those in revenue-generating college sports such as football and basketball. He noted that these athletes often compete in conferences that span multiple states, giving them a direct connection to places where voting rules are being debated or changed.
According to NPR’s account of the interview, Johnson said the NAACP wants athletes to understand the economic value they help create — from television contracts to ticket sales — and to see that value as leverage. By raising their voices or asking questions about where games are held, he suggested, athletes can press universities and conferences to consider voting rights when they schedule events or sign contracts.
The campaign’s name, Out of Bounds, underscores that the NAACP views certain voting restrictions as beyond acceptable limits in a democracy. Johnson told NPR that linking the campaign to sports is a way to make that argument visible to fans, administrators, and political leaders who closely follow college and professional athletics.
Implications for Major Leagues and Events
Although the NPR interview centered primarily on Black student athletes, Johnson also referenced professional sports, including the National Football League (NFL) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), one of college football’s most prominent leagues. NPR reported that the NAACP is effectively asking such organizations to weigh voting rights conditions when deciding where to stage high-profile contests.
For a conference like the SEC, whose member schools are concentrated in Southern states, a sustained boycott could complicate decisions about neutral-site games, conference championships, or future expansion if the NAACP’s criteria were widely adopted. For the NFL, which has moved events in the past in response to state policies on other issues, the campaign raises the question of whether voting laws should similarly factor into decisions about Super Bowls, drafts, and all-star games.
NPR did not report any immediate commitments from leagues or schools in response to the Out of Bounds announcement. At this stage, the campaign is a public call to action rather than a negotiated agreement, and its impact will depend on whether athletes, fans, and institutions embrace or resist the NAACP’s framing.
What’s at Stake
Johnson told NPR that, from the NAACP’s perspective, the stakes of the Out of Bounds campaign extend beyond sports. He described voting rights as a foundational issue for Black communities and said the organization sees athletic boycotts as one of the few tools that can quickly draw national attention and economic pressure.
Because Black athletes are central to the popularity and financial success of many college and professional teams, the NAACP believes their involvement can force conversations that might not happen otherwise. If athletic departments, conferences, or leagues begin weighing voting laws in their event planning, state lawmakers could face new incentives to consider how proposed legislation will be perceived far beyond their capitols.
NPR’s reporting makes clear that the campaign is still in its early stages, and that independent corroboration of its on-the-ground effects is limited at this point. It is not yet evident how many athletes or institutions will align themselves with the NAACP’s call, or whether any events will be relocated as a direct result.
For now, the Out of Bounds campaign marks a new attempt by a major civil rights organization to connect the cultural power of sports to the mechanics of democracy. As Johnson told NPR, the NAACP is betting that where games are played — and who decides — can shape who gets to vote, and under what conditions.
The next developments to watch will be how specific conferences, including the SEC, and professional leagues such as the NFL respond publicly to the campaign, and whether any upcoming events are reconsidered in light of the NAACP’s appeal.
