The ACC, after a move by the state of North Carolina to take back some of the things in the controversial bathroom bill, will consider the state for events.
Last year, the move by the state of North Carolina to pass a bill that restricted people from using bathrooms in certain places to their birth gender instead of the one they identify with was met with both support from some and opposition from others. It also led to a boycott of the state by several sports factions, including the NBA, NCAA and ACC, which all moved events out of the state as a result.
It was a move from the ACC that some found surprising since they are based in Greensboro and had previously given the diplomatic answer of “we’ll think about it” when the bill first passed. Now that many parts of the bill have been repealed — thanks in part to the state’s new governor, who narrowly beat his opponent who was the driving force behind HB2 — the college conference is thinking about coming home.
The Associated Press reported that the conference’s Council of Presidents voted to again consider the state for events:
BREAKING: In HB2 news, ACC says Friday its Council of Presidents has voted that NC will again be considered as future events host.
— Aaron Beard (@aaronbeardap) March 31, 2017
Last September, the 15-team conference (14 for football thanks to Notre Dame) voted to move 10 of their championship games or tournaments from the state, including moving its annual football title game to Orlando and the women’s basketball tournament to the Myrtle Beach, SC area. The men’s basketball tournament was in Brooklyn, where it will also be next year – but is scheduled to head back to the Tar Heel State in 2019.
The conference did not officially announce if all the events — including the big many football title game — will head back to the state, only that they will be considered.
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The bill’s repeal is being met with resistance from those on both sides of the issue, from original supporters of the measure who believe people will be at risk to opponents of it who think the repeal doesn’t do enough to prevent discrimination. One thing is for certain: the repeal shows that money does talk considering the amount of business that left as a result.