NAACP Urges Pro Athletes to Not Sign with Texas-Based Teams over Legislation

The NAACP and its president and CEO, Derrick Johnson, wrote a letter to the players' associations for MLB, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL and the WNBA, urging athletes to consider not playing for teams in the state of Texas given recent legislation regarding abortion, voting rights and COVID-19 health mandates. 

Those leagues contain the following teams: 

• MLB: Houston Astros and Texas Rangers
• NBA: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs
• NFL: Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans
• NHL: Dallas Stars
• WNBA: Dallas Wings

"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," Johnson wrote.

"If you are considering signing in Texas, I ask you to ensure that owners are upholding their responsibility of protecting you, the athlete, and your family," the letter continued. "I ask you to use your influence to help protect the constitutional rights of each individual at risk."

In May, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law legislation that prevents women from accessing abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy when cardiac activity can be detected in the embryo. That directly contradicted the Supreme Court's 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, which made it illegal for states to ban abortions during the first trimester of pregnancy.

The law also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers or others who helped a woman get an abortion after six weeks for damages of at least $10,000.

Texas' abortion law is headed to the Supreme Court, where it will be reviewed on Nov. 1, though the court refused to block the law from being enacted in the meantime. 

In September, the state also passed sweeping voting restrictions that some fear will make it harder for people of color and people with disabilities to vote. And in October, Abbott enacted an executive order banning any business from enacting vaccine mandates for employees or customers.