Report: ACC Championship Game moving to Orlando
The ACC Championship Game appears set to move to Orlando after the conference decided to leave Charlotte over the controversial HB-2 law.
The ACC Championship Game appears to have found a new home.
Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com reports the ACC will move its championship football game to Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. The game will take place Dec. 3 at 7:45 or 8 p.m. on the ESPN family of networks.
ACC football title game moved to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium, sources told @ESPN. Kickoff is Dec. 3 at 7:45 p.m. (ESPN) or 8 p.m. (ABC)
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 29, 2016
Orlando quickly emerged as a favorite to replace Charlotte to host the ACC Championship Game after the ACC opted to move the game from North Carolina in response to North Carolina’s HB-2. And the symbolism is not likely lost.
The ACC became one of several leagues to remove events from North Carolina in response to its passage of HB-2, a law that prevents states and municipalities from enacting LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections.
The law has come under fire specifically for preventing transgender residents from using the bathroom of their gender identity. It has potentially far-reaching effects beyond that, and it has therefore become the focus of intense scrutiny and protest.
Orlando quickly emerged as a favorite to host the event once it became available. It certainly provides a contrast to North Carolina.
In June, Orlando was the site of the largest mass shooting in modern United States history when a gunman killed 47 people inside a gay nightclub near Downtown Orlando. The juxtaposition is stark and noteworthy.
Orlando was also a candidate to host the 2017 NBA All-Star Game after the NBA elected to move it from Charlotte. The All-Star Game moved to New Orleans instead.
The city has certainly been aggressive offering to host these events.
It is also more than capable of hosting a major event like this on short notice with its mass of hotel rooms, easily accessible airport and typically empty football stadium.
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Orlando’s college football portfolio is quite big. The city hosted Florida State for its spring game and at the Camping World Kickoff Game against Ole Miss on Labor Day. The stadium also hosts three bowl games: the AutoNation Cure Bowl, the Russell Athletic Bowl and the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. It should have no problem pulling off this game.
The only hurdles would be moving and rearranging the high school championship games already scheduled for that weekend. If Camping World Stadium is hosting the event, that has probably been done already.