There is a handoff to Najee Harris. He goes left around the end, sprints to the sideline, outruns the defense and scores his third touchdown for the Crimson Tide. Najee Harris walks into the voting booth, signs in at the registry and asks for a ballot. He is told he cannot vote because he does not have a valid voter ID. There’s a long pass to Devonta Smith. He leaps over two defenders, pulls in the pass and races 40 yards for another TD for the Crimson Tide of Alabama. Devonta Smith mails in his absentee ballot, but it is passed into the waste basket because he does not have the photo ID properly notarized.
Over 150 million people voted for President in 2020 which is about 20 million more people than the total vote count of 2016. And yet, instead of celebrating the triumph of our electoral system and rejoicing in the broadening of the electoral base, Republicans have already introduced 120 proposed laws in 28 different states to limit and restrict voter participation. The Republicans know they cannot win elections with a large voter turnout, and they are acutely aware that the 2022 election is just around the corner. The Supreme Court will soon heat a case of attempted voter suppression in Arizona that could shape the future of voting rights for decades. Voter suppression is an issue that must be addressed immediately, as the Democrats hold only paper-thin margins in both the House and Senate, and the suppression of votes in 2022 just might be enough to give the Republicans both branches of Congress once again.
We need a strategy that will immediately challenge these latest attempts at voter suppression primarily in Southern states. Most of these voter suppression laws require voters to show state-issued photo ID at the polls. These voter ID cards are often issued at DMV offices, and many states have closed many of these offices, making it difficult for people without cars or other means of transportation to get their IDs. Many states have laws preventing people formerly convicted of a felony from voting, despite the fact that some of these individuals have already completed their prison sentences. States are also removing people from the voting registry without informing them, based on a misspelling of a name, or a residential address that may have changed but was not officially submitted. All of these attempts are designed to remove minorities from the voting ranks, because minorities generally vote more Democratic than the general population.
Here is my simple solution to voter suppression in these states – convince young super athletes of color to refuse to matriculate in colleges and universities within those states that have voter suppression laws. Alabama has six National Football Championships since 2009. Clemson, located in South Carolina which just reelected Lindsay Graham to the Senate despite his supporting of Trump’s racist policies, has made four appearances in the National Championship and winning two of these. The other collegiate football powerhouses are the University of Georgia, Arkansas, LSU, University of Texas and Texas A&M. The list of Southern schools with big-time sports programs should also include University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. Look at the rosters of these teams and you will see a very high percentage of minorities. These big football schools draw 70,000 to 100,000 people per game and generate a lot of revenue for both the college and the communities. These winning teams also create a state identity that goes well beyond the student population. Ordinary blue collar people who never went to college identify with their Crimson Tide and they love their team. What would happen if these teams fell to mediocracy and could no longer compete with the likes of Notre Dame or Penn State or USC? What would happen if Alabama lost to the University of Michigan by 40 points? I would also include in this program, universities with big-time basketball programs in states that engage in voter suppression. We must convince the super athletes to avoid matriculating at colleges in these states. This list should include the University of Tennessee and both the University of Florida and Florida State, Arizona and Arizona State and of course, the University of Kentucky.
Recently, many athletes took a knee for social justice. I am now suggesting that they take a stand against systemic racism and voter suppression. We need a movement that convinces super star high school athletes to boycott these universities. Instead of heading to the University of Alabama, take your running back talents to UCLA. Instead of leading a fast break for for the University of Tennessee, help lead Boston College to the Big Dance. Of course, the word must get out and the movement needs a highly respected and reputable organization to lead this drive in order to succeed. I am suggesting that the NAACP work with already successful professional athletes to endorse this policy and get involved in seeking out blossoming high school super-stars on a grand scale and convince them that they are bringing about important social change. How about Lebron stopping by the home of a young athlete and suggesting Ohio State over ASU? How about Lamar Jackson visiting high school athletes’ homes and pushing the University of Oregon or USC instead of pushing his alma mater University of Louisville. By choosing to take their talents to a university in a state that does not have these voter restriction laws, these young athletes will become a force leading to improvements to the social equality in our country. The sacrifice for the young athlete are minimal, but the results can be outstanding and immediate.
The drop in top talent in these large universities should result in a quick drop-off in the performance of these sports teams. I am convinced that the people of these states are more concerned with the performance of their sport teams than they are about the racial make-up of the state’s electorate or elected bodies. The people of Alabama care more about the success of the Crimson Tide than of who occupies the White House. I believe that a successful boycott of these schools will result in the very quick reversal of these voter suppression laws. Such a simple solution to a social wrong. It would be nice if other social injustices could be attacked with such simple solutions.
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