North Carolinians just got bad news. The NBA announced that they will be moving the coveted NBA All-Star Game from North Carolina. Why? HB2.
HB2 is the infamous North Carolina law that undermines the civil rights of several marginalized communities. Specifically, the law repeals all city LGBT nondiscrimination laws and directly targets the transgender community.
Acting on principle, the NBA will move its annual All-Star Game to champion its values of equality and inclusion. While many sports leagues have made similar suggestions about seminal sports events, this is the first time it has actually happened in response to LGBT discrimination.
Unsurprisingly, the NBA's decision will shock many North Carolinians. For many, especially those who were not explicitly targeted by the law, HB2 is viewed as an intangible "political" issue that should be left up to the politicians to fix. Some even view it as a legal theory dispute between the federal government and the Governor's office.
LGBT inequality thrives in places where politicians frame LGBT civil rights as a "political" issue, where complicit constituents see anti-LGBT legislation as a distant concept that doesn't impact them. However, the NBA's decision to move this high-profile, lucrative and iconic event, serves as a brutal wake-up call to complicit constituents in North Carolina. The ramifications of anti-LGBT laws like HB2 are very real and cut deeply.
North Carolina is going to lose an estimated 100 million dollars in All-Star Game related profits. Additionally, the NBA's announcement sets an example for other sports leagues, conferences and teams who may also cancel events in North Carolina. Various collegiate athletic programs have already canceled meetings with North Carolina teams in order to avoid travel to the state.
North Carolina is an iconic sports state. There are not many states that can rival the volume, loyalty and tenacity of the North Carolina fanbase. From youth sports, to their collegiate rivalries, to professional teams: they live, breathe and respect the institution of sports.
Not only is the state losing a lot of money, HB2 is messing with people's sports. In the South, especially in North Carolina, outside of religion, nothing is more personal.
This reality is what makes the NBA's decision so painful, and simultaneously, so powerful.
The NBA has drawn the line in the sand for the sports community. Their message is clear-- your state can't compete if it doesn't play fair. North Carolinians had to learn the hard way. Hopefully other states will get the message.