Will ‘Bathroom Law’ Changes Be Enough to Keep NCAA From Pulling Events Out of State?

Earlier, we posted about the deal that was struck to repeal North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom law.” The deal is being fast-tracked so that the state can meet a deadline imposed by the NCAA. The association is requiring a change in the law by Thursday in order for North Carolina to be allowed to host the lucrative championship events.

Already, the NCAA moved previously scheduled events out of the state in 2017, citing the law as the reason.

“Absent any change in the law, our position remains the same regarding hosting current or future events in the state,” the NCAA said in a statement, according to USA Today. “As the state knows, next week our various sports committees will begin making championships site selections for 2018-2022 based upon bids received from across the country. Once the sites are selected by the committee, those decisions are final and an announcement of all sites will be made on April 18.”

With the law costing North Carolina as much as $3.76 billion in revenue over 12 years (according to the Associated Press), the state does not want to miss out on the opportunity to host NCAA events for the next five years.

The question now is whether the proposed deal will satisfy the NCAA. Local LGBTQ activists are blasting the compromise, per USA Today’s reporting. In a statement, Chris Sgro — the executive director of Equality NC — called the proposal a “train wreck.”

“Those who stand for equality and with LGBTQ people are standing strong against these antics,” Sgro said. “We’ve got less than 24 hours before the NCAA deadline. There is no time to waste — our leaders must fight for what’s right, and that is full repeal.”

North Carolina’s democratic governor Roy Cooper gave the compromise only a lukewarm endorsement, according to The New York Times.

“It’s not a perfect deal, but it repeals House Bill 2 and begins to repair our reputation,” Cooper said.

But will it be enough to win over the NCAA? The 2018-2022 championship sites are scheduled to be announced on April 18.

[image via Jonathan Weiss – Shutterstock]

——

Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter