NAACP tells student athletes to reconsider attending Florida colleges due to state’s anti-DEI policies

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is urging student athletes to seek higher education outside the state of Florida.

“The value of Black talent is undeniable, especially when it comes to college sports,” said an NAACP letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) last week.

“Florida’s dismantling of core representation and curricula is even more egregious when considering the all-too-often unseen business behind college sports. Football, in particular, is more than a game – it’s a multibillion-dollar industry, with most revenue earned off the backs of Black student-athletes.” 

The NAACP statement comes in reaction to a law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in 2023 banning public colleges and universities from funding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs. The move has generated continued discussion as colleges such as Florida State University work on eliminating their controversial and often divisive DEI programming before the next school year. 

The DeSantis administration has hit back against the NAACP’s criticism, pointing out many see DEI programs as an avenue for political indoctrination and heightened racial tension on college campuses. 

“This is yet another Florida-aimed political stunt from the @NAACP with no basis,” DeSantis’ communications director Bryan Griffin posted on X. “FL’s education system is ranked #1 in the nation on many metrics (#1 in ed freedom, #1 in higher ed 7 yrs in a row), and this world-class education is open to any American, regardless of race. 

“What Florida refuses to do, however – and what prompted this latest political stunt – is have Florida taxpayers pay for political indoctrination or state-sanctioned discrimination as part of our higher education system; that’s why we’ve eliminated DEI.” 

While the DeSantis administration’s battle has arguably garnered the most significant media attention, Florida is not alone in its skepticism of DEI. Over the past year 20 other states, such as Alabama, have similarly considered legislation that would block state funding from DEI programs in state institutions, including schools. 

Beyond ideological concerns about the content being pushed by DEI programs, many opponents view the DEI movement as a waste of public and tuition funds. In the 2022-23 academic year, Florida public universities spent nearly $35 million on funding for DEI programs.  

All that spending may actually be counterproductive: While the University of Michigan allocated over $30 million in the 2023-24 school year for almost 250 DEI-related staff positions, one report indicated that when universities raised tuition prices while accommodating growing DEI staff, minority enrollment actually decreased.