Advertisement

NBA Won't Play Games on Election Day to Encourage Fans and Players to Vote

NBA
NBA

Sam Wasson/Getty

The NBA is encouraging fans and players to do their civil duty this Election Day.

The league announced Tuesday that they won't schedule games on Nov. 8 this season, to motivate fans to get out and vote.

"The NBA today announced that no games will be played on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022," they said in a statement. Instead, all 30 of the league's teams will play the day prior, during a special league-wide viewing night. Programming during Nov. 7 games will provide viewers with with important voting information and resources.

"On Monday, Nov. 7th, the league will use the platform of games played to amplify the work of each team to promote civic engagement in their respective markets and share important voting resources from our partners," the league stated.

RELATED: NBA Players to Wear Special Warm-Up Shirts in Honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Additionally, the NBA explained, "The scheduling decision came out of the NBA family's focus on promoting nonpartisan civic engagement and encouraging fans to make a plan to vote during midterm elections."

The league will release its' full schedule for the season on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.

In addition to encouraging fans the time to schedule voting into their schedule on Election Day, the move offers players, coaching staff and team employees the time to get to the polls. James A. Cagodan, the executive director for the National Basketball Social Justice Coalition, told NBC News' Shaquille Brewster that while the league doesn't "usually change the schedule for an external event," they made an exception due to Election Day's "unique importance."

RELATED: NBA Players Take a Knee at Games Following Capital Building Riots: We Play 'with a Heavy Heart'

"Voting and Election Day are obviously unique and incredibly important to our democracy and that's part of the value proposition that we want to make sure people understand that voting is unlike anything else," said Cagodan.