The Black Athlete Revolt by Shaun M. Anderson

Author:Shaun M. Anderson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2022-11-15T00:00:00+00:00

GO VOTE!

With the pandemic and police brutality making tensions flare throughout the United States, 2020 also represented an election year. Supporters of Trump praised his “Make America Great Again” mantra, while denouncers expressed that his four-year term was full of divisiveness that showed a lack of concern for marginalized people. Consequently, a push was made by athletes and other high-profile individuals to encourage registered voters to vote for officials who would work to establish an equitable society for all people. However, a focal concern for these individuals was the long-standing history of voter suppression among minority voters.

In a USA Today article, former Los Angeles Clipper head coach Doc Rivers explained how his father was instrumental in establishing equal voting rights for Black people during the civil rights era.11 His father, who was a cop in a Chicago suburb, said that poll workers would force Black voters to submit to a literacy test before turning in their ballot. Such practices were common during that time. But many people have suggested that similar barriers exist to this day. Consequently, athletes began using their platform to call out other organizations to end these discriminatory practices.

In the months before Election Day, voting fraud and equal voting rights became the talk of the nation. Many individuals from marginalized communities wanted to vote but felt disenfranchised by polling centers and other voting outlets. To help close this gap, several lawmakers urged the federal government to increase funding to support the United States Postal Service (USPS) in their mail-in balloting efforts. President Trump and his supporters discouraged this request because they believed that increased funding would encourage voter fraud. An outcry ensued as members of the Democratic Party and society at large felt that the president’s denial of funding to the USPS was a way of guaranteeing his victory for a second term. The national outcry continued as many individuals feared that President Trump would earn a second term.

In response to voter inequity, the NBA and NBPA developed campaigns to create awareness for better civic engagement and voter awareness. Throughout the 2020 season, over twenty-three teams opened their arenas to engage in various voter registration activities. Additionally, the league and the players’ association partnered with nonprofit organizations, players, and nonpartisan political organizations to spread the word regarding the importance of voting. Some of their partners included organizations such as When We All Vote, a national organization seeking to demystify the process of voting and ensure the closure of discriminatory gaps related to voting. Also, the NBA was instrumental in supporting national voter movements including National Voter Registration Day, National Black Voter Day, and National Vote Early Day, among others. Further, the NBA partnered with Black Entertainment Television (BET), the National Urban League (NUL), the NAACP, and other civic organizations to push for equality at the voting polls.

The WNBA also used its platform to raise awareness of voter suppression through several campaigns. One of the more profound movements was the “Unite the Vote” challenge that was constructed by nine of the twelve WNBA teams.

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