NAACP calls for boycott of Texas, Texas A&M athletics over voting rights concerns

The NAACP is calling for Black athletes and fans to boycott athletic programs at public universities in states they say are restricting Black voting rights, including the University of Texas and Texas A&M.

The "Out of Bounds" campaign is calling for Black athletes, their families and the universities' fans and alumni to withhold "athletic and financial support" from major universities in southern states.

What they're saying:

"Across the South, Black athletes have helped build some of the most profitable college athletic programs in America, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue," the campaign reads. "At the same time, several southern state governments are moving to limit, reduce, weaken, or erase Black voting representation by creating new, unconstitutional voting districts."

The move comes as Republican-led states redraw and gerrymander congressional maps in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to limit a provision of the Voting Rights Act the restricts how states draw districts affecting minority voters and constraining states' use of race as a factor when drawing congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms.

The NAACP's campaign calls for boycotts at schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina.

"Athletics at these flagship universities each bring in at least $100 million annually from national television deals, alumni donations, merchandise sales, and ticket sales — much of it powered by Black football and basketball talent," the campaign website reads.

In a statement, the NAACP encouraged Black athletes currently being recruited by the named universities to withhold commitments until the states "restore fair congressional maps and meaningful Black representation." They also encouraged current athletes at the schools to consider options such as the transfer portal and asking university leadership to make public statements against "vote dilution."

"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," Tylik McMillan, National Director, Youth and College Division, NAACP, said. "These are not separate issues. The state that is working to erase your grandmother's congressional district is the same state whose governor will stand on the field and celebrate your touchdown or game-winning shot."

Congressional Black Caucus comes out in opposition to SCORE Act

The Congressional Black Caucus on Monday sent a letter to the commissioners of the SEC and ACC athletic conferences and NCAA President Charlie Baker saying its members will oppose the SCORE Act.

The SCORE Act is a bill that would standardize the contracting rights of athletes across the country. The caucus said it would oppose the bill until conference leaders opposed GOP-led redistricting efforts in states that include major conference members.

"Congressman Shomari Figures and Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, who had been engaged in efforts to improve the bill and address concerns raised by members and stakeholders, will not be supporting the SCORE Act," the caucus said in a release. "As a result, the Congressional Black Caucus stands united in opposition to the bill."

Figures and Bynum helped introduce the legislation last year.

"For generations, Black athletes have helped build college athletics into one of the most powerful and profitable industries in American life," CBC said. "The success, visibility, and cultural influence of major athletic conferences and institutions are inseparable from the talent, labor, leadership, and cultural contributions of Black communities. Yet at the very moment, those same communities face coordinated attacks on their democratic representation, too many leaders across college athletics have chosen silence."

The University of Texas and Texas A&M did not immediately return a request for comment.