On Tuesday, the NAACP launched a national campaign encouraging Black athletes and fans to avoid supporting athletic programs at major public universities in states the organization says have weakened Black voting influence following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on congressional redistricting.
The campaign, called “Out of Bounds,” focuses on flagship athletic programs in eight Southern states — Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas — and urges recruits, athletes and supporters to apply economic pressure until new congressional maps and voting protections are adopted.
The schools identified by the campaign include Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M.
The campaign follows the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which civil rights groups say further weakened protections under the Voting Rights Act and led several Southern states to revisit their congressional district maps.
“What these states have done is not a policy disagreement,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in a statement announcing the campaign. “It is a sprint to erase Black political power.”
The NAACP is encouraging football and basketball recruits to consider alternatives to the targeted schools, including historically Black colleges and universities. Current athletes are also being asked to speak publicly about voting rights issues and evaluate options available through the transfer portal.
“This generation of Black athletes understands something that those who came before them were never afforded the chance to say so plainly: your talent is yours, and so is your community’s political power,” NAACP’s national director of youth and college division Tylik McMillan said in a release.
The campaign also calls on fans and donors to redirect spending on tickets, merchandise and NIL collectives toward HBCU athletic programs and scholarship funds.
The NAACP’s push adds another layer to the growing intersection of college sports and social issues at a time when athlete compensation, transfer movement and conference expansion continue to reshape the industry.
Any widespread participation by athletes could have significant implications for powerhouse football and basketball programs across the SEC and ACC.
Still, the practical impact of a boycott remains uncertain.
Many of the schools identified by the campaign are among the top NIL destinations in the country, offering athletes lucrative endorsement opportunities and national exposure. For recruits in the Southeast, proximity to home and access to high-profile programs have traditionally played major roles in college decisions.
The NAACP said the campaign will continue until the targeted states adopt new voting protections and congressional districts that more accurately reflect Black communities. The group summarized its position with a slogan repeated throughout the campaign rollout: “No Representation. No Recruitment. No Revenue.”
