Sports and politics have long been intertwined, and they are together again this week. Indiana passed a new law last week, the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”, in which some claim the law gives people in right to discriminate against homosexual people. (As I’m currently writing this, the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence, vowed to fix the law, but we don’t know when this law will be fixed) While I don’t know enough about politics or this law to talk about the specifics, I do know that the NCAA, NFL, and NBA must act, and act soon.
Last year in Arizona, there was a law being discussed, which would give people the right to discriminate against homosexual people. The NFL stepped in and threatened to take away Super Bowl 49 from Arizona if the law was passed. As we know the law was not passed because the Super Bowl was still held in Arizona.
The NCAA must do the same thing, except this is where things get sticky. The 2015 Final Four is being held this upcoming weekend….wait for it…in Indianapolis. Things just so happen to work out like that, but what should the NCAA do? It is nearly impossible to pull the Final Four out of Indy due to simple logistics. What are the people who bought hotel rooms and flight tickets suppose to do if the Final Four was to be moved? Where is the NCAA going to get a new arena in just a few days, and be able to move everything to that new city? (Remember, it’s not just three games that are being held there, but there is also the Fan Fest, the media events, and all the accommodations)
While it is nearly impossible for the Final Four to be moved, it is not impossible for the NCAA to move its headquarters, which is also located in Indy. The NCAA, Indianapolis Colts, and Indiana Pacers are major moneymakers for the state and it’s time for these leagues to step in. The NCAA must, not should, but MUST move their headquarters out of the state. The NFL MUST threaten to take away the Colts, the NFL combine, and future drafts/NFL events in the city. The same goes for the NBA and the Pacers.
We all know that the president of the NCAA, Mark Emmert, is one of the worst, if not the worst, presidents/commissioners in the United States, but this is where is can prove that he’s not just a talking head. If Emmert has any morals, any guts, any sense of things, he will move the headquarters out of the city. He must also threaten to pull future events out of Indy such as next years Women’s Final Four, the Big Ten Championships, and other events that take place in the city. If Emmert wants his legacy to have a shred of positivity, then it’s time for him to step up and make a move. If he doesn’t make a move, then we will finally know if this stage is too big for Emmert.
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