MLB is boycotting Atlanta by removing the All Star Game. That’s a good start. Coca Cola and Delta have released statements criticizing Georgia’s SB 202, albeit after the bill had passed.
It’s not too late for Coke, Delta, Home Depot and other Georgia corporations to rectify their previous harmful neglect pertaining to voting rights of minorities and others. A good place to start is to stop taking calls from Republican lawmakers and make it clear that these companies will not contribute money toward any Republican election campaign until the bill is completely repealed. A bill that is passed in a day can be repealed in a day.
Speaking of sports, college athletics could be another pressure point. Take football. The mostly African American NCAA football players are in a unique position to maximize their concern about this attempt to suppress minorities, low income and young people’s right to vote.
Most NCAA athletes understand they are among those targeted by these suppression bills because they are young men and women likely to vote progressively and/or are low income or people of color. But this is not just about them. Minority players have relatives who are also targeted by voter suppression bills.
For example, football players in the SEC should announce that they will not play in a “kick-off” game in Atlanta or participate in the Peach Bowl until the bill is repealed. That should get the attention of Home Depot’s founder Arthur Blank and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.
All SEC players should make clear to their coaches, university presidents, athletic directors and the powerful university board of governors or trustees that in states that pass voter suppression laws, SEC football players will not play in a bowl game or kick-off game unless those voter suppression bills are completely repealed.
NCAA football players should establish a united front and announce they won’t participate in any bowl game in a state with voter suppression laws.
I’m not suggesting that players boycott regular season games because often or not, college stadiums are in towns that are a refuge of progressive liberalism surrounded by a sea of red in many conservative states.
While NCAA football players have the most leverage, other NCAA athletes should use any leverage they possess to stand with their fellow athletes and voters of color in the struggle against voter suppression.
Jim McMeans
Danielsville, GA