NC anti-gay law cited for NBA moving 2017 All-Star game
“While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2″ -National Basketball League
Yesterday, in an unprecedented move, the NBA announced they will move the 2017 All-Star Game from Charlotte, N.C. to another state because of that state’s controversial anti-LGBT law. The All-Star Game was expected to generate $100 million of revenue for the state, according to Athlete Ally. Seth Brown’s blog puts this loss in perspective in the excerpt I’ve included below.
For a little perspective, the largest event in Charlotte history (in regards to direct economic impact) was the 2012 Democratic National Convention which brought in $164 million. Not only will Charlotte not have the opportunity now for this economic boost, but they will also be stuck with the $33.5 million renovation fees for Time Warner Cable Arena over the next 10 years. A number of those renovations were scheduled to be done in time for the All-Star Game. So, at this point Charlotte is left with a hefty bill, while not seeing the expected return from their investment.
Prior to the NBA’s announcement the state had lost $329 million in business, according to Equality NC and there is no reason to believe these losses will stop.
BosGuy 