The state of North Carolina must amend its “bathroom bill” within the next 48 hours to avoid losing NCAA events through 2022.
As the North Carolina Tar Heels prepare to face the Oregon Ducks in the Final Four on Saturday night, there is an ultimatum for the former’s home state. North Carolina has 48 hours to amend the controversial HB2 law or it will not host NCAA events through 2022, according to a report by CBS WNCN.
Of course, you have heard of the “bathroom bill” by now. The state passed the law last year and it limits the protections LGBT people. There is also a provision in the bill requiring residents to use bathrooms that align with their birth genders.
The fallout has been catastrophic. North Carolina has since lost numerous sporting events and hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.
The NBA pulled the All-Star Game from the city of Charlotte last summer in opposition to the much-maligned law. The game was going to infuse an estimated $100 million to Charlotte’s economy. New Orleans was the benefactor at Charlotte’s expense, again (see Hornets’ 2003 relocation, Anthony Davis).
More importantly, Duke Blue Devils’ fans are arguing HB2 is responsible for ending their team’s season during the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Greensboro was the original site for Duke’s game against South Carolina. Due to the law, the NCAA moved the site to Greenville, SC.
Greensboro is less than an hour away from Duke’s campus in Durham. Greenville is nearly four hours away from Durham, but just 90 minutes from the campus of South Carolina. The Gamecocks defeated Duke in the second round in front of what sounded like a home crowd.
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The losses continue to pile up for the state of North Carolina. Consider these notable losses from 2016: Carolina Panthers lose Super Bowl 50, UNC loses championship at the buzzer, NBA pulls All-Star Game, and the NCAA pulls seven championship events.
This year and beyond do not look promising if HB2 is not amended, like right now.