The NCAA is encouraging its member schools to designate Nov. 3, the date of the U.S. presidential election and other major national and local races, as a day off for major college athletics.
"We encourage all member schools to assist students in registering to vote in the upcoming national election and designate Nov. 3, 2020, as a day off from athletic activity so athletes can vote and participate in their ultimate responsibility as citizens," president Mark Emmert and the association's board of governors said in a statement Friday.
Several college football programs conducted voter registration last week, along with marches and demonstrations against racism following the death of George Floyd in police custody on May 25 in Minneapolis. Georgia Tech assistant basketball coach Eric Reveno has lobbied the NCAA to designate Election Day as a day off through the #AllVoteNoPlay campaign on Twitter.
Reveno said on Twitter on Friday that while this is a step in the right direction, the NCAA needs to do more than just make a recommendation.
I appreciate this as a step in the right direction.
— Eric Reveno (@CoachReveno) June 12, 2020
However, we need to move beyond a recommendation.
We need to act. The @NCAA needs to act.
We need #AllVoteNoPlay in the rule books.
Our players children need to feel the results of our actions. https://t.co/7rK371psen
Georgia Tech already announced it will give all nine in-season sports Election Day off.
UCLA, Gonzaga and Kansas followed with a similar announcement and Wisconsin said Friday it would also skip athletic activities on election day. "We just want them to exercise their responsibility to have their voices heard and vote," Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said. "I want to make that as easy as possible for them.''
The Mid-American Conference said in a statement Friday that they are working to reschedule a football game between Buffalo and Northern Illinois scheduled for Nov. 3.
The Division I college basketball season will start about a week after election day.
Emmert and the NCAA board of governors also recognized the growing number of college athletes who are speaking out against racism and participating in demonstrations.
"The recent demonstrations following the tragic killing of George Floyd showed the world the power of protest and student-athletes across the country were at the center of that movement," their statement reads. "We commend NCAA student-athletes who recognized the need for change and took action though safe and peaceful protest. We encourage students to continue to make their voices heard on these important issues, engage in community activism and exercise their constitutional rights."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.