All Star Weekend relocation
- KAS
- Jul 21, 2016
- 2 min read
Each year sports fans nationwide look forward to a few select events: the Super Bowl, MLB All Star festivities and the mother-load of partying that is NBA All Star Weekend. Sports fanatics and groupies from all walks of life gather in one city during one early-February weekend each year to celebrate the celebrity attendance, demonstration of skill and dunking prowess.
Yeah, it's a pretty big deal.
The 2016 festivities took place in Toronto and while 2017's party was planned for the city of Charlotte, N.C., the NBA has just decided to relocate, costing the city a potential $100 million in earnings.
So why would the NBA commit such an inconvenient act? What could possibly make Charlotte such an undesirable city for All-Star Weekend that the NBA changes the host, giving another city only six months to prepare? Well, I'll tell you.
North Carolina recently passed House Bill 2. This fine piece of legislature has caused a social uproar, as it should, because it basically legalizes discrimination.
The bill eliminates state-level laws protecting employees against discrimination based on origin, age, handicap, ethnicity and sex in the workplace, including their transfer, termination and demotion based on these characteristics. House Bill 2 bans legal protection for LGBT citizens and will leave North Carolina without family leave policies, consecutive work hour limits, child-labor laws or health insurance standards. This nicknamed "Bathroom Bill" will now force transgender males who haven't changed their birth certificates to use female bathrooms and calls on public restroom separation to be strictly enforced. If any part of this fails, the rest stands.
The best part about all this? Government figures created the bill and ratified it in a record-setting 12 hour time-span. This allowed for extremely little public commentary, which personally blows my mind. The politicians we elected into office to serve the best interests of our communities, speak on behalf of the masses and fight for public rights have now crafted a bill that regulates discrimination, forces separation and impedes the rights of many - and it was done so secretly without public involvement.
.........Are you for real North Carolina?
But my hat goes off to the NBA for taking a stance. The league has a wide range of followers and pretty much any commentary on any situation will offend a portion of the fan-base, leading many similar organizations to keep quiet on controversial issues.
BUT this league is composed of predominantly minority ethnicities and holds a team in Charlotte, giving the NBA added incentives to use their platform to fight the good fight.
So NBA Commissioner Adam Silver changed the 2017 All Star Weekend destination out of protest against House Bill 2. Because of shady politicians and discriminatory legislature, Charlotte is now being cost an estimated $100 million in earnings, which could have done amazing economic things for the state.
Now the already crappy circumstances for North Carolina communities just got a bit crappier. Bummer.
But I completely respect Adam Silver and the NBA for taking a stance in a situation that didn't necessarily call for their action. Great work fellas.
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