A far cry from ‘shut up and dribble:’ In 2024 presidential election, athletes are making their voices heard

There’s a good reason why you won’t be watching the Celtics play Tuesday: Every one of the NBA’s 30 teams is off for Election Day.

The decision to alter the NBA schedule goes back to 2022, when the league sought to keep the focus not on the court but on the crucial midterm elections in which all 435 House of Representatives seats were up for grabs.

“It’s unusual. We don’t usually change the schedule for an external event,” James Cadogan, the executive director of the NBA’s social justice coalition, said at the time. “But voting and Election Day are obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy.”

While the NBA and other leagues aren’t telling fans whom to vote for, they are sharing a common message: Get out and vote.

The advocacy by sports leagues is a far cry from 2018, when NFL owners voted to force players to stand for the national anthem (the rule was revoked and commissioner Roger Goodell later apologized). And Fox News host Laura Ingraham started a nasty political dialogue when she told then-Cavaliers star LeBron James to “shut up and dribble.”

Since then, James and other notable athletes have used their platforms to make their voices heard.

How athletes are getting involved in the 2024 election for Democrats

James took matters into his own hands when he founded voting rights nonprofit More Than A Vote in the summer of 2020, months after George Floyd was killed in Minnesota and Jacob Blake was shot in Wisconsin.

More Than A Vote focuses on ensuring the rights of Black Americans to get registered and get to the voting booth. And last week, James took a personal stand when he shared his endorsement for Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz.

“When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me,” James wrote in the post. “VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!”

WNBA players’ union president Nneka Ogwumike took over More Than A Vote this year, and intends to shift focus to women’s rights as abortion is on 10 state ballots Tuesday. She told The Athletic last month that on Tuesday, she plans to return to her home state of Texas to help as a poll worker in Harris County, home of Houston and nearly 5 million people. And the Seattle Storm, for whom Ogwumike plays, endorsed Harris for president.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a vocal advocate for gun reform, spoke at the Democratic National Convention in August and was joined virtually by Stephen Curry. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has donated thousands of dollars to the Harris campaign.

Bucks coach Doc Rivers and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich have openly criticized Republican nominee Donald Trump, as Popovich in a recent news conference called the former president a “racist liar” and “pathetic.”

Spurs point guard Chris Paul and Eagles defensive tackle Thomas Booker are part of a campaign group called Athletes for Harris, which also includes Magic Johnson, Billie Jean King, Candace Parker, and Emmitt Smith. A group of 50 HBCU football legends also announced their support for the Harris campaign in a letter shared with Forbes.

Other active and retired athletes, coaches, and sports figures to endorse Harris include Dawn Staley, Ali Krieger, Jerome Bettis, and Mark Cuban.

Some sports figures haven’t been as vocal about their support, but small actions are still making waves.

WNBA Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark set the Internet aflame when she liked an Instagram post from Taylor Swift endorsing Harris, but Clark did not officially endorse a candidate and opted instead to encourage people to register to vote.

How athletes are getting involved in the 2024 election for Republicans

On the other side of the coin, Trump has attracted support primarily from former NFL players.

Herschel Walker, who lost to Rep. Raphael Warnock in the 2022 Senate race in Georgia, has stumped for Trump in his home state. On Sunday, Trump said he’d put the former USFL great in charge of the missile defense shield if elected.

Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown — both known for their success with the Steelers — have appeared alongside Trump in western Pennsylvania, hoping to tip the scales in the swing state.

Brett Favre, the former Packers and Jets quarterback embroiled a lawsuit over welfare fraud in his home state of Mississippi, spoke at a Trump rally in Green Bay, Wis., last week — another swing state appearance.

UFC president Dana White has been outspoken in his support for Trump, as has former IndyCar driver Danica Patrick. Patrick has been campaigning in swing states like Arizona on behalf of Trump, and recently shared she voted for the first time in her life for the Republican candidate.

Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker grabbed the national spotlight in May when, in his commencement address at Benedictine College, a Roman Catholic college in Kansas, he opined that the women in the audience were likely more excited about future husbands and children than they were about their degrees.

He has since been vocal about his pro-life stance and created a Political Action Committee to support Trump and encourage conservative Christians to vote.

49ers defensive end Nick Bosa displayed his support for Trump last week when he crashed an NBC postgame interview in a “Make America Great Again” hat. When asked about it, Bosa said, “I’m not going to talk too much about it, but I think it’s an important time.”