First is was the NBA All-Star game that was relocated from North Carolina due to the state’s passage of the controversial House Bill 2 – which requires people to use the public bathrooms that align with their birth gender, among other laws that discriminate against the LGBT community. Now the NCAA has pulled seven of their championship events from the state, including the Division I Men’s Basketball Championship first/second rounds which were scheduled to be held in Greensboro, saying the law “limits civil rights protections.”
“Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships,” NCAA President Mark Emmert said 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 full list of the events that will be relocated are as follows:
► 2016 Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, College Cup (Cary), Dec. 2 and 4.
► 2016 Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships (Greensboro), Dec. 2 and 3.
► 2017 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, first/second rounds (Greensboro), March 17 and 19.
► 2017 Division I Women’s Golf Championships, regional (Greenville), May 8-10.
► 2017 Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships (Cary), May 22-27.
► 2017 Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship (Cary), May 26 and 28.
► 2017 Division II Baseball Championship (Cary), May 27-June 3.