Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

The NBA prioritizes voting over games

The NBA prioritizes voting over games

Kevin C. Cox
/ Staff / Getty Images

In June 2020, at the time of the Black Lives Matter protests following the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, a group of NBA players led by Lebron James, other black athletes and entertainers started More than a Vote.

At the time of the group’s formation, James said: “This is the time for us to finally make a difference.”

And indeed, he has made a difference.


More Than a Vote played an important role in the 2020 general elections and was particularly active in the Georgia Senate runoffs with ads to educate voters as to how to register and how to vote by mail.

Also in 2020, after a walkout by NBA players following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, the NBA converted a number of arenas into polling locations for the presidential election

A year later, More Than a Vote started a “Protect Our Power'' campaign that coincided with the NBA’s all-star weekend and aimed at fighting the many voter suppression efforts across the country that disproportionately impact Black voters.

Sports has played an important role in our democracy for many years. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's decades-old color barrier when he made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers. His efforts to advance civil rights in America were groundbreaking.

Sign up for The Fulcrum newsletter

NBA legend Bill Russell, who recently passed away, was a civil rights trailblazer in the 1960s. And now the NBA is getting involved, announcing it won't hold any games on Nov. 8 — Election Day with the goal of encouraging fans to vote.

"The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family's focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections," the league said in a tweet.

James Cadogan, the Executive Director of the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition commented further: "It's unusual. We don't usually change the schedule for an external event," he told NBC. "Voting and Election Day are obviously unique and very important to our democracy."

Perhaps more importantly, not only will the NBA not play on Election Day but over the next few months NBA teams will provide information on their state's voting process and voter registration deadlines in order to help fans make a plan to vote.

It was also announced that the Monday before Election Day, the league's 30 teams will play in games to promote civic engagement and to also encourage fans and staff to vote this year.

In 2020, after a walkout by NBA players following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, the NBA converted a number of arenas into polling locations for the presidential election. The equally active WNBA dedicated its entire 2020 season to social justice, using its

Influence and platform to encourage activism and voting. Specific teams, likethe Atlanta Dream, got behind certain candidates, heavily influencing turnout and awareness.

The WNBA and NBA aren’t alone as more and more athletes are using their collective voice to strengthen our democracy. All Vote No Play is a movement to help student athletes become great teammates and citizens, and to show them how they can exercise their own power to create the future they want.

They have a nonpartisan, free playbook of “civic drills” that all coaches and teams can use to jump start civic engagement, and they provide resources like the Student Athlete Voter Captain Guide, which provides monthly guidance on how in just 15 minutes per month, teams can become registered, informed and engaged voters.

They’ve also launched The Engaged Athlete Series, featuring prominent athletes like UCLA quarterback Chase Griffin, Stanford's Olympic swimmer Brooke Ford, and others, to highlight the many ways that student athletes can make a difference. They plan on hosting an All Star Engaged Athlete meeting on Sept. 13 featuring civic and sports leaders like Stanford women’s basketball coach Tara VanDerveer and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, hoping that at least one athlete from every D1 school attends to amplify engagement.

Read More

Ben Folds Upcoming Tour: Offers His Fans a Time to Reflect

Ben Folds performs on stage with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra at Perth Concert Hall on January 28, 2021 in Perth, Australia.

Getty Images, Matt Jelonek

Ben Folds Upcoming Tour: Offers His Fans a Time to Reflect

In February, Ben Folds resigned as artistic adviser to the National Symphony Orchestra, shortly after President Donald Trump took charge of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO,” Folds wrote on Instagram on February 12. “Not for me.”

While Folds is not overtly political, he has used his music as a platform to encourage dialogue and understanding within his audience. He has the opportunity to do so in his recently announced 2025 concert tour, which includes the “Paper Airplane Request Tour,” where members of the audience can request songs by sending paper airplanes to the stage.

Keep ReadingShow less
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood screenshot
Sony Pictures Entertainment

Movies that show us at our weaving best

The Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project tackles the problem of broken trust that has left Americans divided, lonely and in social gridlock. Weave connects and invests in grassroots leaders stepping up to weave a new, inclusive social fabric where they live. This is part of an ongoing series telling the stories of community weavers from across the country.

With the weather getting colder across the northern hemisphere and some holiday time with family and friends coming up, you might want to kick back with a movie. We’ve got you. Here are some movies that will give you hope, leave you smiling and maybe inspire you to get out and rebuild social trust in your community in 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
The role of theater in fostering constructive political dialogue
Tom McGrath/TCMcGPhotography

The role of theater in fostering constructive political dialogue

While it may seem like our country is more politically divided than ever, political division has been a recurring theme throughout American history.

The Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the struggle for civil rights, the protests surrounding the Vietnam War and similar events highlight how deeply divided opinions can become. Each of these periods had its own complex set of issues and emotions, and they shaped the nation in significant ways.

Keep ReadingShow less