On Oct. 8, the Team, a nonprofit organization focused on integrating nonpartisan civic engagement and voter participation into college athletics, held an historic event: Pizza to the Polls, a convening of student-athletes, sports stars, and leaders in national civic engagement. The “All Star Meeting” involved 122 watch parties in 34 states, with more than 7,000 people attending. Participating pizza joints and restaurants delivered about 1,200 pizzas.
Among the participants were Nneka Ogwumike of the Seattle Storm and Natasha Cloud of the Phoenix Mercury. Other guests included NCAA president Charlie Baker and student-athletes Caleb Kenney (Holy Cross basketball), Kansas Robinson (Northwestern softball), and Elise Byun (UCLA gymnastics).
“In my day job at Stanford, I teach students how to imagine new futures and bring them to life,” said event emcee Lisa Kay Solomon, designer in residence, and lecturer at Stanford. TheTeam.org provides various resources for voters, including a step-by-step Voter Guide, which details everything from registering to vote to researching a ballot, and making a voting plan.
Robinson interviewed Cloud, asking, “Was there a pivotal moment in your career when you first realized the impact of your leadership on your teammates and community?” In response, Cloud said, “First, I have to talk about the pivotal moment that had an impact on me. It was 2016 and the Minnesota Lynx protested after Philando Castile [was killed]. That was the first time I truly saw pivotal players in our league…utilizing not only their individual platforms but their combined platforms to shed light on issues that were plaguing our community.”
The actions of the Lynx players, said Cloud, pushed other players and teams in the WNBA to take a stance. “In that moment, it made me realize how truly powerful not only individually my platform was, but collectively as players in this league and the sisterhood that we have and how strong we were together,” she said.
Janai Nelson, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, introduced Ogwumike, saying, “We’re so excited to join forces with the Team to make sure that student-athletes feel prepared and feel empowered to make your voices heard during this election.”
“There has never been a better time to be an athlete, and there has never been a more important time to use that influence to fight for our individual and collective rights,” said Ogwumike, who recently took over leadership of More Than a Vote, the nonprofit voting rights initiative founded by LeBron James.