Basketball-crazed North Carolina has lost its next chance to host NCAA men’s basketball tournament games along with several other championship events due to a state law that some say can lead to discrimination against LGBT people.
And the fallout may not be over.
After the NCAA announced it is pulling seven championship events from North Carolina for this year, Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford — whose league hosts many sporting events in the state, including its football championship game — said the ACC’s council of presidents were set to discuss the law at a previously scheduled meeting later this week.
The ACC football championship game, held in Charlotte since 2010, is the last marquee college sporting event left in the state during the 2016-17 season. While Swofford it would be “premature” to make any decisions about holding events in North Carolina for now, he also issued a clear statement against the law.
“On a personal note,” Swofford said, “it’s time for this bill to be repealed as its counter to basic human rights.”
In a news release Monday, the NCAA says the decision by its board of governors came “because of the cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections.”
The law — known as HB2 — requires transgender people to use restrooms at schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from local and statewide antidiscrimination protections.
HB2 was signed into law by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory earlier this year. A spokesman with McCrory’s office couldn’t immediately be reached for comment Monday evening, but a spokeswoman with the state Republican party blasted the NCAA’s decision in a statement, saying it is “so absurd it’s almost comical.”
“I wish the NCAA was this concerned about the women who were raped at Baylor,” spokeswoman Kami Mueller said Monday night.
The only championship events that can be hosted in North Carolina this academic year are ones determined when a team earns the right to play on its own campus.
The NCAA said it will relocate the men’s basketball first- and second-round games that were scheduled for March 17 and 19 in Greensboro. The NCAA will also relocate:
— the Division I women’s soccer championship scheduled for Dec. 2 and 4 in Cary, just outside the capital city of Raleigh;
— the Division III men’s and women’s soccer championships set for Dec. 2 and 3 in Greensboro;
— the Division I women’s golf regional championships set for May 8-10 in Greenville;
— the Division III men’s and women’s tennis championships set for May 22-27 in Cary;
— the Division I women’s lacrosse championship set for May 26 and 28 in Cary;
— and the Division II baseball championship from May 27 to June 3 in Cary.
The state has been a frequent host for NCAA men’s basketball tournament games. In all, the NCAA said North Carolina has hosted 251 men’s tournament games since 1951, the most of any state.
Athletic directors at three of the state’s ACC schools — North Carolina’s Bubba Cunningham, North Carolina State’s Debbie Yow and Wake Forest’s Ron Wellman — issued statements saying they were disappointed at the loss of events. Duke AD Kevin White went further, saying the school agreed with the NCAA’s decision.
“Our position has been clear on this matter, which is that this legislation is discriminatory, troubling and embarrassing,” White said.
The campaign spokesman for Democrat Roy Cooper, the state’s attorney general and McCrory’s re-election opponent in November, also said the law needs to be repealed.
“It seems that almost every day, we learn of a new consequence of HB2,” spokesman Ford Porter said. “… We need to repeal this law and get our state back on track.”
NCAA President Mark Emmert said in statement Monday night that the governing body will delay announcements on future championship sites until early next year. That comes as it reviews responses to questionnaires required of prospective site hosts on how they would comply with the NCAA’s anti-discrimination measure.
In its announcement Monday, the NCAA took special note of ways North Carolina’s law differs from other states. The NCAA pointed out that five states — Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington — and several cities prohibit travel by public employees and representatives of public institutions to the state of North Carolina. The representatives prohibited to travel could include athletes, coaches and athletic administrators.
Monday’s action by the NCAA is the latest public and business backlash that has arisen since the law was enacted. The NBA moved its 2017 All-Star Game to New Orleans instead of hosting it in Charlotte as originally scheduled because of the law. Duke lost a men’s basketball game from its schedule when Albany backed out due to that state’s travel ban, while the Vermont women’s basketball team has canceled a December trip to play North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Entertainers like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr have canceled plans to play in North Carolina. And PayPal reversed plans to open a 400-employee operation center in Charlotte.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
The NC law is a good one and I am sure more states will adopt it. The issue is safety and morality, not a hindrance to transgenders..
Personally, I’ve dropped the NCAA along with all pro sports.
The entire sports industry is non-productive and usless. We need to find more deserving heros.
The ncca needs to be sue but than when you on Satan side you can discriminate all you want they don’t care about doing the right thing one reason I want be buying anything about college an NCAA glad you be burning in hell
The NCAA is empowered to regulate scholarships, fouls in sports events, etc., but they are not empowered to boycott a state because of a state, govt political decision. Just who in the hell do they think they are to regulate what the citizens of a state and their legally elected representatives believe! And they themselves practice defacto discrimination of short people by having only one basketball league that is dominated by very tall people leaving people under 5’8″ and under unable to play and ineligible for scholarships. Same for small football players. Wrestling is divided according size!
What about the rights of children,men,women to feel safe in a private setting. Most transgender people that I have met are not evil,weird,pedophiles,etc. But by allowing physical different humans in a restroom it opens the door to mentally disturbed individuals to prey on innocent humans. There are alternate bathrooms for family,etc. Being politically correct is now going too far. It should not step on the rights of others. The NCAA should respect the authority of the state especially since they have made reasonable accommodations for transgender people. Remember the laws are for universal good of society and some group will always disagree.
The ignorance on all libturds is reaching the point of rebellion. What part of the law does the Marxists not understand?. In order to use the bathroom, the transgendered must have the operation completed, if you were a male born, your junk must look like a woman’s, if you were born a female, then you get added junk to look like a man. How is this unfair? Seems like a very reasoned compromise to any rational thinking person, but not the asshole libturds. Their is no compromising with the progressive Marxist. All their way, or your the racist, homo phob or a myriad of other names that try branding you with. We talk about deporting the Mexican national, we need to take all the unamerican progressives that hate and blame America for everything under the sun, put them on a boat and exile them away from our shores never to be heard from again. They are not Americans, but new world order drones. Or as the scripture calls them ”earth dwellers”. WE NEED TO RID OURSELVES OF THESE PARASITS
THE HORN IS NOW CENSORING MY EMAILS, NOTHING I WROTE WAS OFFENSIVE OTHER THAN CALLING LIBERALS ASSHOLES WHICH IS TRUE. TIME TO UNSUBSCRIBE
WHERE IS MY rite to freedom of SPEACH? Is this a conservative format or is it controlled by the elite Marxists? WHY are you stiffling free speech?
Just pretend you have an IQ above 60, and write your text accordingly. And you can say the same thing while using more than four-letter words.
I am proud of NC for standing up to Obama and his Gay rights.
Sports will not defeat NC but standing up to Gay Marriages and use of
bathrooms will prevail.
Even if someone in NC or other states discriminates it does not mean that is a reflection on the NCAA anymore then somebody shooting another person reflects on the NCAA unless it was an NCAA official with a gun that did the shooting.. But since the NCAA as an .org has stepped in a cow patty over something that is none of their business they have established what they really are. Judgemental! And are acting like the south end of a north going horse. Also the NCAA and NFL would do will to keep in mind that race is not a nationality and neither is religion. Fundamentally discrimination is a sin. There is no legal description of discrimination, unless a govt passes a law legalizing discrimination, such as Jim Crow laws or apartheid. And racial discrimination is not the only form of discrimination. There is also religious discrimination as practiced in islam. So by the lose definition of discrimination as practiced by the NCAA then the NCAA discriminates against the state of NC, the citizens of NC that approve of the “speed limit” law of not allowing men to use women’s toilets. There are only two known sexes, m and f. So mirror, mirror on the wall, Who is the biggest discriminator of all? And the mirror answered. Clearly the NCAA in this situation.
It’s all about money ! The power to stop NCAA and all corrupt sports is in your pocket.
Maybe its time to come up with an alternative to the NCAA. Americans need to consider whether they want to be rule by athletic cartels. I don’t think a handful of athletic bureaucrats should be allowed to overrule the wishes of the people.
Hopefully North Carolina will stand strong. If the state bows to the demands of these athletic bureaucrats the bureaucrats will be empowered to demand other concessions from states who want to host their tournaments. We are making a mistake when we let corporations and athletic associations use their clout to influence laws.
Good point about an athletic cartel trying to legislate morality. Indiana, the gov, caved over the same situation. Not a good example for people to follow. PC has degenerated into Political Corruption since WJC coined the phrase when he was president. As popular as PC is among so many elected officials it must be illegal, immoral or fattening?
Unlike in islam, our govt is not authorized to eradicate sin. Adultery is not illegal but is probably, by far, the most popular sin. And the SC had the audacity to declare a definition by Congress, DOMA, as unconstitutional. And they also declared it was a woman’s “right” to behead the baby in her womb. Discrimination against the unborn, resulting in the deaths of 60 or 70 million unborn humans in the US alone. The rule of law is based on the Constitution, not the bible despite muslim activists, community organizers, that want to impose sharia law here which is the koran coded into law. It is also considered a universal law of the land, but of course is illegal here in the United States.
If these people believe that gender is fluid, then it’s possible that species is fluid.
Decent people should organize and identify as dogs, and visit places like Target and the NCAA and do what dogs do . . . Urinate and defacate on the floor and merchandise and sue if anyone tries to stop them. Let’s see how “inclusive, tolerant and diverse” these people really are.
You can see what a witches brew of muslims and multiculturalism has brought to Europe! And they want to bring that here with O and sharia law. Sharia law is religious apartheid since Mosque and state are one. Islam is a RINO religion. Religion In Name Only. It is a form of govt. All govts are political in nature. Just like men and are male in nature and women are female in nature. We were not created “equal” and the real issue of sexual equality is neither sex is inferior in the eyes of God thus should not be in the eyes of the other sex or in the eyes of the govt. This equal rights for women is political nonsense created by H and the Ds. Not to be kind and benevolent to women, but to get votes. Those that voted against the state of NC and millions of citizens that don’t have a problem with sexual separation in public toilets should all resign and do so quickly! The NCAA, the NFL and other sporting orgs need to mind their own business, not state or fed govts. The govts, if they so choose do have the authority to ban the NFL, the NCAA, etc. from their states. Heck, even the universities, etc. can ban the NCAA from their campus! Govts. like God, are jealous and do not have any intention of sharing their power with some half baked sporting cartel! Why do we have rights in the Constitution? Because govts, in ore cases then not want to control everything especially the citizens/subjects. The men that founded our nation made us citizens instead of subjects like those where dictators rule. We do have rights. Subject have no rights, they are subject to the whims and what side of the bed the ruler woke up on! And some rulers are mean spirited. Ayatollahs are political rulers that use religion as mask, a burka so no one can see their real face! Vote so you can in private go to the toilet in a public necessary room! Maybe the president of the Philippines was right? At any any rate O seems to have been a clever community dis-organizer! And H is audacious enough to want to continue his political chaos. Along with the NCAA, NFL, etc..
I never have understood how these transgendered are being discriminated against. They are asking for a PRIVLEDGE that no one else is afforded.
I agree with everyone . NC hold strong and we should boycott the NCAA.
The NCAA can take a flying leap as far as I’m concerned.