Neither the Warriors nor the Atlanta Hawks were invited to participate last month in the NBA’s Orlando restart. Already eliminated from postseason, they were relegated being spectators.
Neither franchise, however, settled for short-term irrelevance. They will compete against each other in ways that exceed the boundaries of sports.
Both teams announced Thursday that they are launching a “Voter’s Win” registration drive involving their fans, with the winner will be determined by the fan base best represented by new voters between Aug. 13 and national election day on Nov. 3.
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“It’s great that the Warriors and Hawks are coming together on this program to challenge to get our fans to register to vote,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “It's a collective effort. It’s something the NBA believes in deeply, that everybody in this country takes part in our democracy.
“This is not about who you're voting for. It's about exercising your right as an American citizen to vote. We want to make it into a competition, have little fun with it and challenge everybody out there to register and be ready to vote in November.”
The initiative, in partnership with “I Am a Voter” organization, will be split into a four-quarter format, like NBA games, with the “score” being announced at the end of each quarter. Dub Nation can engage the process by texting “WARRIORS” to 26797 to receive instructions.
The winner of each quarter will receive the “Good Trouble” trophy, so named after the signature phrase of the late Rep. John Lewis.
Golden State Warriors
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“‘The Voters Win’ competition is a fun way to encourage fans to use their voices and exercise their right to vote,” Hawks CEO Steve Koonin said in a statement. “It’s incredibly important that every member of our community, that is of age, is registered to vote and with 82 days left until the general election, the time is now to make sure you are ready for November.”
Behind such activists as Stephen Curry, COO Rick Welts and Kerr, this is the latest example of the Warriors' commitment to making statements beyond the court.
[RACE IN AMERICA: Listen to the latest episode]