NAACP Urges Pro Athletes To Avoid Texas
Recruitment for Texas-based sports franchises may have just gotten considerably harder.
A two-page letter was sent by The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to all major players' associations on Thursday, urging members not to join pro teams in the Lone Star State.
NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson wrote that "dangerous attacks on freedoms" are happening in Texas.
"In response to the most recent attacks on voting rights and reproductive care, the Association sent an open letter to the National Players' Leagues, urging free agents to reconsider moving their families to a state that is not safe for anyone," a press release from the NAACP stated.
According to USA Today, this letter was sent to the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and NHL Players' Associations, and was signed by both Johnson and NAACP Texas president Gary Bledsoe.
Among the pro franchises in Texas are: NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, MLB's Texas Rangers and Houston Astros, and NBA's Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, and NHL's Dallas Stars. The state also has franchises in the MLS, WNBA, and other pro leagues.
The letter "calls on athletes to consider not only their influential platforms as professional athletes but as parents and role models for our children and those in their personal lives."
The letter references a number of recent pieces of legislation put in place by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. These include a restrictive voting bill, which many see as a direct attempt to restrict voting access to minority individuals, according to the Associated Press.
Another controversial bill in discussion was the "heartbeat bill," which essentially bans abortions past the six-week mark. It also allows any private individuals with knowledge of an illegal abortion having taken place to sue that individual and anyone else who "aids and abets" the abortion, including medical professionals. It also does not make exceptions for cases of rape or incest, according to the New York Times.
The NAACP also highlights the state's attempts to ban mask mandates by "counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities, or government officials," the inability for children to currently receive COVID-19 vaccinations, and Abbott's executive order that bans companies from implementing vaccine mandates amongst their staff.
And most recently, the state's newly drawn redistricting map has come under heavy criticism for increasing "the power of white voters even though 95% of the state's growth last decade was fueled by people of color," per the Austin American-Statesman.
"Over the past few months, legislators in Texas have passed archaic policies, disguised as laws, that directly violate privacy rights and a woman’s freedom to choose, restrict access to free and fair elections for Black and brown voters, and increase the risk of contracting coronavirus. If you are a woman, avoid Texas. If you are Black, avoid Texas. If you want to lower your chances of dying from coronavirus, avoid Texas," wrote the NAACP.
The letter concludes with a powerful final paragraph written by Johnson which reads: "We are now pleading with you -- if you are a free agent and are considering employment in Texas, look elsewhere. The Texas government will not protect your family. Demand that Texas owners invest in your rights and protect your investments. Texas is not safe for you, your spouse, or your children. Until the legislation is overturned, Texas isn’t safe for anyone."
