Black college athletes: Listen to the NAACP about the state of Florida

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.