The North American professional league NBA will not schedule any games on the day of the midterms, the US midterm elections. As the basketball league announced on Tuesday, this step should encourage fans to vote on November 8th.
On the eve of the midterms there is a full game plan with all 30 teams, the league said. The franchises should use these games to strengthen “civic engagement”. The clubs should also inform their supporters about the elections in the weeks before – for example about deadlines for election registration.
The NBA had already supported the political activism of its basketball professionals in previous years. In 2020, the league and players openly participated in several campaign-related actions, primarily in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, which reignited the debate about racism and police violence.
Many players, including superstar LeBron James, took part in election registration campaigns to mobilize voters. In addition, several stadiums were converted into polling stations during the 2020 US presidential election to increase voter turnout.
The NBA will announce the full game schedule for the 2022/23 season on Wednesday.
