The PGA said that while it isn’t moving the 2017 championship, HB2 could pose problems for holding future events in North Carolina.
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The league says it hopes to announce a new location for next February’s events shortly.
But that’s actually fine – the point of maneuvers like this is less to hit local politicians in the pocketbook than to not allow them to play in any reindeer games. It wasn’t the only factor by a long shot, but it did play a key role in getting F.W.de Klerk and his generation to the negotiating table.
“We understand that concern, and I just can not believe that Gov. McCrory is so negligent as to let the city of Charlotte and state of North Carolina lose the NBA All-Star Game”. That would be fascinating to see, and while I don’t really believe it’s going to happen, it would certainly be putting the league’s money where its mouth is. While the City itself set the forces in motion that ultimately led to this outcome, it is unfortunate that Charlotte will not be hosting this event next year.
Player agent Casey Wasserman, who represents several high-profile National Basketball Association players including Anthony Davis, Draymond Green, Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, said in a statement, “Today the National Basketball Association showed the world that in sport and in practice we will not stand for inequality and discrimination”. HB2 was created to block a Charlotte non-discrimination ordinance, part of which allowed transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender they identify with.
“Since the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte is a private facility not subject to all of the provisions of HB2, at the 2017 PGA Championship we plan to allow spectators to use the restroom that conforms with their gender identity or gender expression”, the PGA said in a statement.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said having Jordan, one of the NBA’s most recognized figures, in Charlotte was one of the draws for the league to have the All-Star Game in Charlotte.
Several NBA cities could be in line to host the game, including New Orleans – which has hosted the league’s midseason showcase twice. Verbal protests and demonstrations have done nothing to calm the ongoing tantrum our lawmakers are throwing at North Carolinians’ expense.
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HB2 requires individuals to use the bathroom corresponding to the gender listed on their birth certificate in government buildings, schools and universities, and took away the ability of employees to sue their employers in state court for discrimination or wrongful termination, among other things.
