The NCAA has pulled the seven championships scheduled for the state of North Carolina during this academic year, including NCAA men’s basketball tournament games in Greensboro, "because of House Bill 2," according to a front-page piece by Andrew Carter of the Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER. The NCAA argued that the controversial bill "would preclude North Carolina cities from guaranteeing an 'inclusive atmosphere' for all." ACC Commissioner John Swofford states that the league "would not make decisions about ACC championships until discussing HB2 at previously scheduled meetings this week." That includes the league's football championship game, which is slated to be played in Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium in December for the seventh straight year. Swofford did say that he "personally believed it was time for the law to be repealed." The move comes two months after the NBA pulled its All-Star Game from Charlotte due to HB2. The NCAA last night "acknowledged that other states have laws that are in some ways similar to HB2." However, the organization argued that “the dynamic in North Carolina is different from that of other states because of at least four specific factors" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/13). NCAA President Mark Emmert this morning called the move to pull the events from the state a “proverbial no-brainer” for university presidents. He said, “We had a process by which all the individual bidders were able to express their views of what they could do around this. But in the end, the board realized that with this law in place, they simply can’t be successful there.” More Emmert: "There was hope that this could be resolved during the summer, during the legislative session, or perhaps this fall through the court system. None of those things came to pass. In order to have time to relocate those events and move them to a place where our students were still going to get a very high-quality experience, the board had to make a decision right away” (“CBS This Morning,” 9/13).
FINDING REPLACEMENT VENUES: NCAA VP/Men's Basketball Championships Dan Gavitt said that the men's basketball selection committee will "have an expedited two-week bid process from interested sites to find a replacement" for the games that had been set for Greensboro. He said that the plan would be to "make the selection by mid-October," but it will "be tough to find one on short notice due to NBA and NHL scheduling." ESPN.com's Andy Katz notes that means the venue "may have to be an arena on a college campus, or one that has a college team as a primary tenant" (ESPN.com, 9/13).
SEE YOU (MUCH) LATER? In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes the NCAA is in the "middle of a bid cycle for events" running from '19-22, which they were "supposed to announce" in December. The NCAA yesterday announced that it "would push that deadline back indefinitely" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/13). Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan, the daughter of former ACC Associate Commissioner Fred Barakat, yesterday said, "The bigger issue isn’t so much what’s going to happen this year. We are in the process of bidding for future tournaments. This could put us out of the running for the next four years. We could end up with a long drought. And then the concern is: Does the ACC follow suit? Do they relocate their tournaments? It absolutely is a real possibility. We’re talking about a variety of different sports.” In Greensboro, Jeff Mills in a front-page piece notes Vaughan had "written a personal plea" to Emmert this year "denouncing HB 2, and bids for events included explanations of the city’s inclusive policies" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 9/13). Meanwhile, Charlotte is set to host NCAA tournament games in '18, and that "could be jeopardized by the NCAA's stance" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/12).
LEAVING A VOID: In North Carolina, Stephen Schramm in a front-page piece notes with the ACC basketball tournament "beginning the first of a two-year stint in Brooklyn, this will mark the first time" since '85 that the state of North Carolina "will not host" any NCAA or ACC tournament games. Duke was a "heavy favorite to start its NCAA tournament run in Greensboro," and there was a "decent chance" the Univ. of North Carolina could have played there as well (FAYETTEVILLE OBSERVER, 9/13).
NOT JOKING AROUND: The NEWS & OBSERVER's DeCock writes the NCAA made it "explicitly clear at the Final Four that if there weren’t changes to HB2, the state was at risk of losing NCAA events." Less than six months later, the NCAA "showed just how serious it was." DeCock: "The NCAA never blinked. It wasn’t waiting for the election in November. It had enough of this nonsense right now" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 9/13). In North Carolina, Alex Riley writes the NCAA "played the waiting game, just like it's always done." The "powers that be gave North Carolina a chance to rethink the law, and, when nothing happened, they made a call." The NCAA "often gets accused of being archaic and out of touch, especially when its rulings come down hard on athletes." Riley: "This time, it's not wrong. The organization made a call, and it was the right one" (Wilmington STAR NEWS, 9/13). In Greensboro, Ed Hardin writes, "This is an embarrassment to North Carolina." Aside from it being a "logistical and economic problem for cities such as Greensboro and Cary, which will lose four events scheduled for the upcoming year, this is a slap in the face of a state that has a long tradition of hosting NCAA postseason events" (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 9/13).
LATEST ACTION BY THE NCAA: In N.Y., Tracy & Blinder note the NCAA has "previously expressed support for protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people," as last year it "pressured Indiana over a law ... that critics said could condone discrimination." Additionally, it "adopted an anti-discrimination measure for its evaluation of championship hosts" in April. However, last night's decision is likely to "presage further activism by sports leagues against state or local laws they see as antithetical to their principles or disagreeable to their national fan bases" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/13). Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton today "praised" the NCAA's move, tweeting that the organization "made the 'right' call." She added, "Discrimination has no place in America" (THEHILL.com, 9/13). Tennis HOFer Billie Jean King on Twitter wrote, "It is the right decision by the @NCAA to pull events in NC. Equal opportunities and equal access should never be withheld" (TWITTER.com, 9/13).
TIME TO TAKE A SIDE? USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes the ACC "can no longer wait to make its views clear" after the NCAA's stance, and Swofford either "needs to align with the NCAA and pull events out of the state due to HB2 ... or explain why the league is tacitly in support of the bill." At this point, the ACC "deciding not to follow suit with its football championship game and future basketball tournaments would almost be an act of defiance" (USA TODAY, 9/13). CBS Sports' Gary Parrish tweeted, "The ACC is getting ready to take a similar stand to the NCAA." Meanwhile, the AP's Ralph Russo reported the Belk Bowl, which also is played in Charlotte, "will be fine unless conferences that partner with it, SEC-ACC, pull plug." The NCAA does not stage bowls. ESPN's Brett McMurphy cited sources as saying that it is "doubtful NCAA decertifies Belk Bowl & won’t allow it played in NC because 'doesn’t want to make Power 5 leagues mad'" (TWITTER.com, 9/13).
