Current:Home > NewsDear Black college athletes: Listen to the NAACP, reconsider playing in state of Florida-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Dear Black college athletes: Listen to the NAACP, reconsider playing in state of Florida
View Date:2024-12-23 19:28:09
Dear Black athlete: Congratulations to you! You're a senior. You have a bright future. The colleges are knocking on your door. Southern Cal called. So did Alabama. Jim Harbaugh left Michigan but he called, too. Once a Wolverine, always a Wolverine.
Coaches at the University of Florida are recruiting you. Same with Florida State. You're interested. But before deciding to attend a predominantly white institution in the state, please consider the words of the NAACP, written recently in a letter responding to Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempts to weaken diversity, equity and inclusion efforts statewide. You need to sit down for this.
"From racist voting policies, to unraveling reproductive freedoms and attempting to rewrite Black history, DeSantis has waged war on Black America," wrote NAACP Board of DirectorsChairman Leon Russell, and President and CEO Derrick Johnson, in a letter to Charlie Baker, the head of the NCAA.
"To all current and prospective college student-athletes — the NAACP urges you to reconsider any potential decision to attend, and compete at a predominantly white institution in the state of Florida," they continued.
It's an extraordinary letter and Black athletes you should take its message seriously.
Why? DeSantis has shifted the state to a more anti-Black place. There's no protective shell solid enough to potentially stop those racist policies from impacting you. That is the NAACP's main (correct) point.
DeSantis last year signed a law that prohibits the state's 12 public universities and 28 four-year, and community colleges, from spending funds on DEI programs.
After the University of Florida this month eliminated all DEI positions, DeSantis took to X, formerly Twitter, and posted: "DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities. I'm glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit."
DEI has become a boogeyman to some and few have attacked it more than DeSantis. It's essentially a way to attack Black Americans and the NAACP, as well as others, aren't the only ones who despise what DeSantis has done. Emmitt Smith, the Super Bowl winning running back for the Dallas Cowboys, who also played at the University of Florida, blasted his old school.
"I’m utterly disgusted by UF’s decision and the precedent that it sets,” Smith wrote. “We cannot continue to believe and trust that a team of leaders all made up of the same background will make the right decision when it comes to equality and diversity. History has already proven that is not the case. We need diverse thinking and backgrounds to enhance our University and the DEI department is necessary to accomplish those goals.”
Smith added: “To the MANY minority athletes at UF, please be aware and vocal about the decision by the University who is now closing the doors on other minorities without any oversight,” Smith wrote. “And to those who think it’s not your problem and stay on the side lines and say nothing, you are complicit in supporting systemic issues.”
The NAACP has issued warnings about Florida before. In another remarkable letter, this one posted last year by Russell, who has spent over 40 years with the organization, issued a travel advisory for the state.
"Recently my home state of Florida has been at the center of heated debates," Russell wrote. "We have faced a devastating near-total abortion ban, new laws further restricting trans rights, a war against immigrants, and extensive efforts to remove DEI programs and Black history curricula from our schools. Our state's so-called leaders' unrelenting assaults on fundamental rights have made Black residents and visitors alike feel unwelcome and unsafe in our state.
"The NAACP is committed to ensuring that Florida is a place where Black Floridians can exist freely and have every opportunity to thrive. Unfortunately, that is not a reality right now under Governor Ron DeSantis' thumb. He has proven that his Florida poses a threat to our lives and livelihood. We refuse to allow his vision for Florida, and this nation, to become our reality. Our travel advisory is an effort to put the country on notice — if you are Black, if you are a woman, if you are an immigrant, if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community — be aware that your life, your full being, is not valued by Florida's so-called leaders."
It is a significant thing to ask young aspiring college athletes like yourselves to not go to Florida. The NAACP realizes this of course. But what the organization is also attempting to do with this warning is get Black athletes, really all athletes of color, to realize the immense power they have.
If there was a Black college athlete boycott of the state, it would significantly impact not just the quality of play, but even the viability of the two biggest money makers in college sports: football and men's basketball. As NPR points out, Black players represent around half of Division I men's basketball and football players across the nation.
"The value of Black talent is undeniable, especially when it comes to college sports," Russell and Johnson wrote. "At UF and similar institutions, if football stadiums emptied, if merchandise stopped selling, if TV deals fell through, the monetary loss would extend beyond athletics to other university programs."
So, yes, dear Black athlete: Congratulations to you! You're a senior. You have a bright future. The colleges are knocking on your door.
You just might want to listen to the NAACP. You've been warned.
veryGood! (2546)
Related
- Disney x Lululemon Limited-Edition Collection: Shop Before It Sells Out
- What is Super Bowl LVIII? How to read Roman numerals and why the NFL uses them
- 2026 FIFA World Cup final to be played at MetLife Stadium
- Prince Harry Returning to U.K. to Visit Dad King Charles III Amid Cancer Diagnosis
- The Surreal Life’s Kim Zolciak Fuels Dating Rumors With Costar Chet Hanks After Kroy Biermann Split
- Who will run the US House in 2025? Once again, control could tip on California swing districts
- Bob Saget's widow, Kelly Rizzo, dating Breckin Meyer two years after husband's death
- Why Taylor Swift Fans Think Tortured Poets Department Is a Nod to Ex Joe Alwyn
- Trump on Day 1: Begin deportation push, pardon Jan. 6 rioters and make his criminal cases vanish
- Shannen Doherty Responds After Alyssa Milano Denies Getting Her Fired From Charmed
Ranking
- Donna Kelce Includes Sweet Nod to Taylor Swift During Today Appearance With Craig Melvin
- Grammys 2024: Gracie Abrams Reveals the Gorgeous Advice She Received From Taylor Swift
- Doctor who prescribed 500,000 opioids in 2-year span has conviction tossed, new trial ordered
- Life-threatening flood threat as heavy rain and powerful winds clobber California
- American arrested in death of another American at luxury hotel in Ireland
- Dr. Cornel West Is Running to Become President of the United States. What Are His Views on Climate Change and the Environment?
- 15 Must-Have Black-Owned Skincare and Beauty Brands That Are Breaking Barriers
- 16-year-old killers of U.K. transgender teen Brianna Ghey sentenced to life in prison
Recommendation
-
Gavin Rossdale Makes Rare Public Appearance With Girlfriend Xhoana Xheneti
-
Taylor Swift Squashes Celine Dion Grammys Snub Rumors With Backstage Picture
-
Jay-Z calls out Grammys over Beyoncé snubs: 'We want y'all to get it right'
-
Where's Ray Wright? High-speed chase leads to clues in Sacramento man's abduction and revenge murder
-
Halle Berry Rocks Sheer Dress She Wore to 2002 Oscars 22 Years Later
-
The Skinny Confidential’s Lauryn Bosstick Talks Valentine’s Day Must-Haves for Your Friends and Family
-
Former WNBA MVP Nneka Ogwumike becomes second big free agent to sign with Seattle Storm
-
Megan Fox's Metal Naked Dress at the 2024 Grammys Is Her Riskiest Yet