UPDATE: the ACC has pulled their basketball conference championship tournament out of Charlotte, North Carolina.
The ACC announced: “As members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the ACC Council of Presidents reaffirmed our collective commitment to uphold the values of equality, diversity, inclusion and non-discrimination. Every one of our 15 universities is strongly committed to these values and therefore, we will continue to host ACC Championships at campus sites. We believe North Carolina House Bill 2 is inconsistent with these values, and as a result, we will relocate all neutral site championships for the 2016-17 academic year. All locations will be announced in the future from the conference office.”
On Monday, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization hailed the NCAA’s decision to stand up for LGBTQ equality by moving all 2016-2017 championship events out of the state of North Carolina due to the anti-LGBTQ HB2 law.
In their decision for the move, the NCAA cited their commitment to an “inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans.”
“The NCAA just sent a clear message to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and state lawmakers that it will not tolerate hateful laws targeting student athletes, fans, and employees,” said HRC President Chad Griffin.
“Every day that HB2 remains on the books, countless people across North Carolina are at risk of real harm. NCAA President Mark Emmert has shown tremendous leadership by taking a bold stand for equality in the face of discrimination. It’s long past time state lawmakers repealed this vile law, and if they don’t, the majority of voters opposed to HB2 will ensure they pay the price in November.”
More from A Sea of Blue, the SB Nation Kentucky Wildcats community, who describe House Bill 2 thusly:
“it prevents people who have not had surgery to change their gender from having the legal right to use the bathroom labeled for the gender that they identify with. The law also keeps people from being protected from discrimination based on their sexual orientation.”
The NCAA has sent a strong message to the state of North Carolina- hate and bigotry will not be tolerated. The state of Texas might be looking to pass similar legislation as N.C. Do that, and you will feel the repercussions. The bold move made the NCAA was discussed on CBS Sports “We Need to Talk” today.
Aditi Kinkhabwala: “It’s a strong move by the NCAA. One, we hope that this is instructive to other states. The state of Texas is considering introducing similar legislation. Host cities there, like San Antonio, are certainly concerned about this. Two, this speaks about the power that sports have in society.”
Andrew Kremer: Sports is big business and money talks. The NBA pulled the 2017 All-Star Game out of Charlotte, moved it to New Orleans. The potential economic impact of that: $100 million.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
He also consistently appears on numerous radio and television talk shows all across the country. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram and Sound Cloud.