Why the NBA won’t schedule games on Election Day in November

The National Basketball Association said Tuesday it would not schedule any games on Election Day, Nov. 8, in an effort to encourage fans, players and officials to vote.

The 30 teams will play the day before the election in what the league calls a “civic engagement night.”

The plan was first reported by BNC News.

The league usually treats Election Day like any other on the schedule. There were four Election Day games in 2018 and six on Election Day in 2016. The 2020 season had yet to start on Election Day that year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The scheduling decision arose out of the NBA family’s focus on fostering nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to plan their vote in the midterm elections,” the league said. in a press release.

NBA and WNBA players have been particularly active among American professional athletes in social justice causes in recent years, including Black Lives Matter and advocating for voting rights. They often had the passive or even active league supportfar more so than their NFL or Major League Baseball counterparts.

Over a dozen NBA arenas were used as voting sites for the 2020 elections.

“We don’t usually change the schedule for an external event,” said James Cadogan, executive director of the NBA Social Justice Coalition. said on MSNBC tuesday. “But voting and election day is obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy.”

The full NBA schedule is due out Wednesday afternoon.