The ACC and NCAA chose to take away championships because of House Bill 2, which in part stops local governments from passing broad ordinances protecting sexual orientation and gender identity.
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“Today’s decision is one of principle”, ACC Commissioner John Swofford said, “and while this decision is the right one, we recognize there will be individuals and communities that are supportive of our values as well as our championship sites that will be negatively affected”.
Per the NCAA’s announcement, the board of governors noted those events “must promote an inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans”, but that current state laws in North Carolina “make it challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver on that commitment”.
A statement from the ACC Council of Presidents said the championships will remain on campuses because the universities are committed “to uphold the values of equality, diversity, inclusion, and non-discrimination”. The ACC said on Wednesday it would relocate eight title events because of the state’s controversial anti-LGBT law. The NBA moved its 2017 All-Star game out of Charlotte, and entertainers such as Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and Ringo Starr have canceled shows in North Carolina.
A quarter-century later, it seems absurd that a state would reject honoring a famed civil rights leader with a holiday that President Ronald Reagan signed into law federally years earlier. The championship game’s been played at Bank of America Stadium for the past six seasons with an average attendance of 69,641.
“Columbia has made it known that it would be willing to host the first two rounds in 2017 or 2018, when Charlotte is schedule to host”, Ron Morris, coordinator of Columbia’s bid to host a regional, told The State.
The economic impact of could be staggering. New locations for the events have not been announced. In the previous two seasons (2008-09) the game was held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida and averaged 49,412 spectators. The ACC championship football game is schedule to be held in Charlotte on December 3.
The conference said in a statement that North Carolina’s law – which requires people to use the bathroom consistent with their birth sex, not gender identity – is “inconsistent” with the ACC’s values.
The ACC football championship had been held in Charlotte in recent years and the ACC Baseball Tournament had been held in Durham and Greensboro. Four North Carolina schools play in the league, headquartered in Greensboro since it was founded in 1953. His statement largely mirrored the one he issued Tuesday in the aftermath of the NCAA’s decision. Around that time, the National Basketball Association made its decision to pull the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte. Pat McCrory and GOP lawmakers act now to repeal a transgender bathroom law the Atlantic Coast Conference cited in removing championship events from the state.
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“We appreciate the Council of Presidents’ reaffirmation of the ACC’s strong commitment to diversity and inclusion, as well as the decision to keep ACC championship contests on our campuses”. One, we hope that this is instructive to other states.
