NCAA moving 7 championship events out of North Carolina

The NCAA will move seven championship events this academic year from the state of North Carolina, including the first and second rounds of the 2017 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, because of the state’s controversial HB2 law.

The NCAA’s Board of Governors made the announcement late Monday night. The decision comes on the heels of the NBA moving the All-Star Game in February from Charlotte to New Orleans.

The board issued a statement saying, “Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee the host communities can help deliver on that commitment if NCAA events remained in the state.”

The NCAA said deciding factors in moving the events were that the North Carolina law “invalidated any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals.”

The NCAA cited that the HB2 law makes “it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity.”

The NCAA also pointed out that the law provides legal protection for government officials to refuse services to the LGBT community.

The seven events that will be moved:

• Division I women’s soccer championship College Cup, slated for Cary, N.C., Dec. 2 and 4.

• Division III men’s and women’s soccer championship in Greensboro, Dec. 2-3.

• Division I men’s basketball tournament first/second rounds in Greensboro, March 17 and 19, 2017

• Division I women’s golf championship regional in Greenville, May 8-10.

• Division III men’s and women’s tennis championship in Cary, May 22-27.

• Division I women’s lacrosse championship in Cary, May 26 and 28.

• Division II baseball championship in Cary, May 27-June 3.

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory issued a statement Tuesday denouncing the NCAA for taking “political retaliation” and failing to show respect while the matter is being addressed in the courts.

“The issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the United States court system for not only North Carolina, but the entire nation,” McCrory said in the statement. “I strongly encourage all public and private institutions to both respect and allow our nation’s judicial system to proceed without economic threats or political retaliation toward the 22 states that are currently challenging government overreach.

“Sadly, the NCAA, a multi-billion dollar, tax-exempt monopoly, failed to show this respect at the expense of our student athletes and hard-working men and women.”

The deadline for submitting bids to host any of the championship games previously slated for North Carolina is Sept. 27.

“Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships,” said NCAA president Mark Emmert in a statement. “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships.”

A number of musical acts also have canceled shows in the state due to the law.

In 2015, the NCAA threatened to move out of the state of Indiana, where its headquarters are located, if it didn’t alter the state’s Religious Freedom Law. Gov. Mike Pence, the current GOP vice presidential nominee, clarified that the law wouldn’t discriminate against the LGBT community.

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