Yards for Votes: Why Black Athletes Should Think Twice about Where They Play

December 21st is College Signing Day - the annual event where top NCAA football programmes do their best to attract talented Black athletes. 

Many of these universities are in states where “college football is religion," and where a championship, trophy or title is the ultimate prize. Which means no effort is spared in luring and enticing the best Black athletic talent in the country.

What's eye-opening is that these same universities hail from places at the forefront of Black voter suppression and disenfranchisement.

This film points out the paradox of Black college athletes playing for schools in states where lawmakers actively muzzle the voices of Black communities. Its goal is to start a movement of awareness - encouraging recruits to weigh their options with a broader perspective of the kinds of institutions, and the people behind the institutions, hoping to sign them.

Talented, young Black athletes have a choice, and they deserve to be reminded of what they're really choosing when it comes to many football programmes in many states across America.

"I’m a fan of Apache’s work and I thought of them for this project because they have an incredibly diverse group of colorists, which matters to me, and to this film. My brief was to grade it somewhere in the silver emulsion, tintype photography world and Jennifer, the colorist, nailed it right away. Even our very fussy DOP had nothing to say about her first pass. Her work gives the film the striking raw grit it needs. And we think it’s beautiful.” says director Kiran Koshy.

#YardsForVotes