University of Texas Student Government Votes to Ban Kanye West Music at Sporting Events
Credit: Tim Warner / Getty Images Sport / Getty Images- The University of Texas at Austin’s student government this week called for a ban on Kanye West’s music at all athletic events.
- The resolution passed unanimously, with one amendment also acknowledging anti-Black remarks and actions by the artist.
- Other colleges such as Texas A&M and Creighton University have dropped West’s music from sporting events.
College students are the latest consumers dropping artist Kanye West following his antisemitic remarks on Twitter and reports of past statements and behaviors.
The University of Texas at Austin’s student government on Nov. 1 called for a ban on West’s music at all athletic events, unanimously passing a resolution in solidarity with Jewish students at the school, The Daily Texan reported.
West, also known as Ye, catapulted to the top of the charts in 2004 with his debut album, “The College Dropout.” And his hits such as “No Church in the Wild,” “Stronger,” “Power,” and “Flashing Lights” have been mainstays played during pro and college sports events.
UT sophomore Alexander Feinstein introduced the bill, alongside Jerod Holman and Surekha Balakrishnan, according to the independent student newspaper.
Feinstein said it was important for UT to ban West’s music because his antisemitic messages have been amplified across the country, including at an Oct. 29 Georgia-Florida football game.
“Somebody came out, and they brought a projector in on the side of the stadium and said ‘Kanye is right about the Jews,'” Feinstein told the independent student newspaper. “Football and sports is something that brings us all together. … We should all feel safe there and we should all feel that it’s a comforting place.”
The bill passed with one amendment brought forward by student-representative Dadrian Whittington to address West’s anti-Black remarks, the paper reported. The language, “Kanye West has also said racist remarks to the African American community and a number of other communities” was unanimously approved by the assembly and added to the bill.
The resolution is pending university approval, according to The Daily Texan.
UT is just the latest college that has sought to ban West’s music from sporting events.
The Texas A&M Aggies said that the football team would no longer use the West song “Power” during their entrance at Kyle Field. Brigham Young University also announced “Power” would be dropped from its basketball team’s pregame program. And Creighton University likewise announced it will no long play West songs at Bluejays athletic events.
The fallout is also stretching into professional sports, with Fox Sports facing criticism this week after it played the West hit “Flashing Lights” as the Oct. 30 Dallas Cowboys–Chicago Bears NFL game cut to commercial break.
Outside of sports, Gap, Balenciaga, and Adidas also cut ties with the artist following his antisemitic and anti-Black remarks, taking a big bite out of his net worth, Forbes reported.
And in just the last week, reports of multiple legal settlements have also surfaced. West has been accused of past antisemitic remarks and behaviors.
This week, NBC News reported that West paid a settlement to a former employee who “alleged that he had used antisemitic language in the workplace.” CNN reported last Thursday that a business executive, who worked for West, accused him of creating a hostile work environment through an “obsession” with Hitler and had received a settlement.