“Unfortunately the NCAA and the state of North Carolina’s aren’t aligned at this point, and we hoped they’re going to get it resolved soon”, says Moran.
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In a statement, McCrory said he wished everyone would let the fate of HB2 play out in federal court “without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are now challenging government overreach”. “Sadly, the NCAA, a multibillion-dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women”.
The political controversy over House Bill 2 has seared the hot spot of North Carolina culture – college basketball.
The law requires transgender people to use restrooms at schools and government buildings corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates.
He went on to note that Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati and Akron have hosted six separate NCAA championship events in the past two years and those cities, along with Cleveland, are slated to hold eight more through 2018.
At the same time, the statute bars North Carolina localities from enacting laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and provides protection for government officials who refuse service to gay and transgender people. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and GOP leaders are defending it as a means of protecting the privacy and safety of women and girls.
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”.
University of North Carolina President Margaret Spellings was not pleased with the NCAA’s decision and lamented how it might affect North Carolina’s athletics community.
While the seven events include sports such as baseball, soccer, tennis and lacrosse, none of the pulled sports will hurt the state more than basketball in what would have been the midst of 2017 March Madness. Its spokeswoman said the decision was “so absurd it’s nearly comical” and “an assault to female athletes across the nation”.
The NBA decided earlier in the summer to move the 2017 NBA All-Star game from Charlotte, and numerous artists have canceled their concerts, citing the controversial law. “This decision is an assault to female athletes across the nation”.
North Carolina and Duke are both in the top 10 in preseason rankings, so there’s a good chance one of the schools would’ve played in Greensboro.
HollywoodLifers, what do you think of the NCAA’s decision to move college sports championships out of the state?
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Hilariously posturing as the voice of reason, she asked: “If you are unwilling to have women’s bathrooms and locker rooms, how do you have a women’s team?”
