Citing HB2, NBA pulls all-star game from Charlotte
Published July 22, 2016
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Graphic by WRAL[/caption]
by Aaron Schoonmaker, WRAL, July 21, 2016.
The NBA is pulling the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte over North Carolina’s controversial House Bill 2, which requires that people use public bathrooms corresponding to their birth gender and excludes the LGBT community from non-discrimination protections.
The NBA released a statement that reads in part, “Since March, when North Carolina enacted HB2 and the issue of legal protections for the LGBT community in Charlotte became prominent, the NBA and the Charlotte Hornets have been working diligently to foster constructive dialogue and try to effect positive change. We have been guided in these discussions by the long-standing core values of our league. These include not only diversity, inclusion, fairness and respect for others but also the willingness to listen and consider opposing points of view."
The NBA said they hope to have Charlotte host the 2019 All-Star Game.
“We look forward to re-starting plans for our All-Star festivities in Charlotte for 2019 provided there is an appropriate resolution to this matter."
Hornets owner Michael Jordan issued a statement saying, "We understand the NBA's decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte. There was an exhaustive effort from all parties to keep the event in Charlotte and we are disappointed we were unable to do so. With that said, we are pleased the NBA has opened the door for Charlotte to host All-Star Weekend again as soon as an opportunity was available in 2019."
North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory denounced the NBA's decicion and defended the law in a statement Thursday: "The sports and entertainment elite, Attorney General Roy Cooper and the liberal media have for months misrepresented our laws and maligned the people of North Carolina simply because most people believe boys and girls should be able to use school bathrooms, locker rooms and showers without the opposite sex present."
Data provided to the Charlotte City Council in 2015 suggested that the All-Star Game would bring in approximately $100 million, including $60 million in visitor spending alone.
“This is a devastating blow to our state,” Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue said, “One that will take North Carolina years to recover from economically – it will take even longer to repair our reputation.”
The All-Star Game is just the latest in a long list of athletic events and concerts that have been moved or canceled in reaction to the law.
Duke basketball and field hockey as well as UNC field hockey have all had to cancel games against Albany because of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive order banning publicly funded, non-essential travel to North Carolina.
The NCAA has also enacted anti-discrimination measures for any school hosting playoff events. Schools must prove they don't discriminate with their facilities and operations before they can host a sanctioned NCAA tournament.
No replacement site for the Feb. 19 game has been announced, although multiple reports say New Orleans is the favorite to assume the duties.
The NBA had threatened the move for months and asked the General Assembly to change or repeal the law. On July 2, North Carolina lawmakers reversed a small piece of HB2 dealing with the right to sue for wrongful termination in state court, but they left intact the provisions dealing with LGBT rights and the use of bathrooms by transgender individuals.
"I'm against any law that allows discrimination, whether that's based on race, gender, sexual orientation," NC State head basketball coach Mark Gottfried recently told USA Today. "I don't understand how someone can support this. I think the people at NC State, we believe in inclusion. Being a resident of the state, for me and my family, it's been frustrating."
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski called the law "embarrassing."
"We are disappointed that Commissioner Silver has decided to cancel the League’s commitment to the City of Charlotte, the Charlotte Hornets, and the people of North Carolina over the League’s desire to give in to the bullying by radical left-wing groups like the Human Rights Campaign and Equality NC," Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of NC Values Coalition said in a statement. "The League has decided that advancing a political agenda that embraces allowing grown men into the bathrooms and showers of young girls is more important than protecting the privacy and safety of their fans."
