North Carolina has already lost out on Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and the NBA All-Star Game due its controversial HB2 law.
Now the state’s college hoops fans will have to go a year — maybe two — without March Madness in their state.
And if you know anything about North Carolina’s love for college basketball, that is way bigger than losing out on The Boss and Eddie Vedder, or even LeBron James and Steph Curry.
“It’s a kick in the shins if you’re a college hoops fan, which is pretty much everyone around here,” said Byron Gilliam, a childhood friend of mine now living in Chapel Hill, N.C. “I saw UNC play the first two rounds in Raleigh year. If they get a 1 seed again and it’s not in UNC, that’ll be a shame.”
The ACC Tournament was already slated to take place in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for 2017 and ’18. And now, because of North Carolina’s controversial HB2 law that curbs anti-discrimination protections for gay, bisexual and transgender people, the NCAA on Monday pulled seven championship events scheduled for the state of North Carolina during the 2016-17 season, including the NCAA Tournament sub-regional scheduled for Greensboro Coliseum.
That means no ACC or NCAA Tournament games will be played in North Carolina in 2017 — and possibly 2018, too. The NCAA website has already been updated with “TBD” to replace the 2017 games in Greensboro and the 2018 games scheduled for Charlotte.
“It’s hard to believe,” Gilliam said. “People are going to be angry, mostly at our Governor, but it depends on your politics.”
Yes, politics. It’s that time of year.
If Republican Governor Pat McCrory loses to Democrat Roy Cooper in November, the law could get overturned and — societal aspects aside — the state could get its postseason basketball back.
“I think we are all counting on McCrory losing in November so HB2 gets overturned and we get our basketball back in ’18,” Gilliam said.
My father-in-law Dick Barton, a former Marine fighter pilot in Vietnam who now lives in Pinehurst, N.C., added this gem: “The donnybrook will cost the Governor his job.”
The ACC, meantime, still hasn’t announced plans to move its football championship game out of Charlotte this season.
“The decision by the NCAA Board of Governors to relocate all current, and not award any future, NCAA Championship sites in the state of North Carolina continues to build upon the negative impact this bill has already had on the state,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said Monday in a statement. “HB2 was previously scheduled to be thoroughly discussed at this week’s ACC Council of Presidents meeting, so it would be premature to make any decisions or announcements regarding ACC Championships until our membership is able to discuss. The league’s longstanding commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion will continue to be a central theme to our discussions.
“On a personal note, it’s time for this bill to be repealed as it’s counter to basic human rights.”
Losing the NCAA Tournament is a big blow. The state has hosted March Madness games in 13 of the last 17 years.
North Carolina and Duke can often look forward to playing their first-and second-round games not far from campus.
When you combine losing NCAA Tournament for two years with the loss of the ACC Tournament to Brooklyn, that’s even more devastating.
(The ACC is slated to return to Charlotte in 2019 and Greensboro in 2020).
As it turns out, it’s probably a lucky break for the ACC that their tournament isn’t in North Carolina this year because they’d be feeling the heat from opponents of HB2.
“If not for Syracuse as a private institution, the Orange would not be able to play in North Carolina,” said ESPN’s Jay Bilas, who lives in the state. “The ACC in Brooklyn was for media exposure and to establish a foothold in the New York area (same with the Big 10), and unrelated to HB2. With the ACC out of North Carolina in March, it may make the issue less pressing for media coverage, but no less important as an issue of fairness, due process and equal protection.”
Bilas, a longtime critic of the NCAA, said this latest decision by them proves that the NCAA is capable of doing the right thing when it chooses.
“It’s a perfectly appropriate action on the part of the NCAA,” Bilas said. “HB2 is discriminatory and violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution. It was in direct response to LGBT protections enacted by the city of Charlotte. This shows the NCAA is capable of doing the right thing, and that any failure of the NCAA to act quickly is just an excuse. The NCAA can act quickly and decisively when is so chooses.”
Hoops fans in North Carolina now must hope lawmakers act decisively, too.
Otherwise, proponents of HB2 will be viewed like The Grinch who stole March Madness.
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