98.7 Kiss FM logo
Get our free mobile app

The NAACP has issued a letter encouraging free agent athletes to not sign with teams in the state of Texas over issues like abortion, voting rights, and mask mandates.

An open letter was signed by NAACP CEO Derrick Johnson and NAACP Texas President Gary Bledsoe and delivered to players associations for the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NBA, the WNBA, and the NHL.

According to the NAACP web site:

"As we watch an incomprehensible assault on basic human rights unfold in Texas, we are simultaneously witnessing a threat to constitutional guarantees for women, children and marginalized communities," write the authors. "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. If you are a woman, avoid Texas. If you are Black, avoid Texas. If you want to lower your chances of dying from coronavirus, avoid Texas."

I'm not sure if dragging professional athletes into politics is a good idea. I really don't know what football, baseball, basketball, and hockey have to do with issues such as abortion and voting rights. And even though they are not addressed in the letter, are they telling college recruits not to come to Texas Tech or even Angelo State here in San Angelo?

And although I have heard a lot about these so-called laws that are restricting the voting rights of minorities, I haven't heard any real examples of who hasn't been able to vote here in Texas.

So, we would like to know your thoughts, your reaction, and your opinion on this letter from the NAACP. Tell us what you think on Facebook or on our station app.

LOOK: 28 Modern Black History Makers & Moments

TX Senate Bill 3 Passed: These Historical Subjects Would No Longer Be Teaching Requirements in TX Schools

Texans who disagree feel that removing these teaching standards are a step in the wrong direction and may lead away from educating our children about the diversity of American citizens and their histories.

LOOK: Here are the biggest HBCUs in America

More than 100 historically Black colleges and universities are designated by the U.S. Department of Education, meeting the definition of a school "established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of black Americans."

StudySoup compiled the 20 largest historically Black colleges and universities in the nation, based on 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics. Each HBCU on this list is a four-year institution, and the schools are ranked by the total student enrollment.

More From 98.7 Kiss FM