Talladega College Athletics Joins Ballers Against Bullets to Promote I WANT TO LIVE Campaign

Talladega College Athletics Joins Ballers Against Bullets to Promote I WANT TO LIVE Campaign

Student athletes are using their platform to support gun violence prevention and encourage safer communities.

TALLADEGA, Ala. Before the final score could tell the story, Talladega College’s junior varsity men’s basketball team delivered a message about something bigger than the game.

The team opened its season against Snead State Community College on October 26 wearing shirts that read I WANT TO LIVE, introducing a partnership between Talladega College Athletics and the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention through its Ballers Against Bullets initiative.

The effort will extend beyond the basketball season opener. Talladega’s athletic teams plan to wear the campaign’s apparel at games throughout the academic year, bringing a message of safety and violence prevention to students, fans, and surrounding communities.

According to the announcement, the partnership follows recent fatal shootings in the local community. Through their participation, Talladega student athletes are calling attention to the impact of gun violence and encouraging young people to protect their lives and futures.

Ballers Against Bullets brings together athletes, barbers, entertainers, educators, and community leaders to promote responsible decisions and prevent gun misuse. The I WANT TO LIVE campaign carries that message through sports, fashion, music, and youth culture.

For Talladega, the partnership creates an opportunity to connect athletic competition with community involvement. Players can reach other young people who recognize them as teammates, classmates, friends, and role models.

Talladega College Athletics also recognized the basketball team’s participation on social media, reinforcing the campaign’s focus on the value of student athletes’ lives and the need for safer communities.

The effort reflects the longstanding connection between HBCUs and community leadership. By bringing prevention messages into its athletic programs, Talladega is giving students a visible role in addressing concerns that reach beyond campus.

As Ballers Against Bullets works to connect with more colleges and universities, Talladega’s participation offers an example of how athletic departments can help carry the message throughout the school year.

The Alabama based Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention leads the initiative as part of its work in community education and prevention. Through this partnership, a shirt worn before a basketball game becomes an invitation to keep the conversation going about safety, responsibility, and the futures young people deserve.

Tags: Talladega College, Talladega College Athletics, Ballers Against Bullets, I WANT TO LIVE, Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention, HBCU News, HBCU Sports, HBCU Original, Gun Violence Prevention, Student Athletes, Community Safety, Youth Advocacy, College Basketball, Talladega Alabama