NBA and LGBT
In the 64 All-Star Games in NBA history, there has never been a record of changing the venue of the All-Star Game. However, in order to support the LGBT community, the NBA changed the host city for the first time. "Although the NBA cannot choose the laws of all cities, states and countries, we cannot I believe Charlotte can successfully host the NBA All-Star Game under the influence of the HB2 bill." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said, and expressed that unless the state government withdraws the bill, there will be no room for compromise and Charlotte's hosting rights will be changed to to New Orleans. Michael Jordan originally hoped to use the All-Star Game to stimulate business opportunities and enhance the local prestige of the Hornets. He also expressed his understanding and support for the NBA's official position, "I fully understand the NBA's decision, and we are all opposed to any form of discrimination."
Although former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory criticized the NBA for being hypocritical and punishing Charlotte in pursuit of political correctness, the well-known North Carolina Christian group "NC. Values Coalition" believes that the NBA has an educational responsibility and should not mislead people about values. . However, the NBA's move still attracted praise from most public opinion. "Time" magazine wrote an article praising Adam Silver's courage to support gender equality. Jason Collins, the first active professional player to announce that he came out, also praised the NBA in the community, "Seeing the NBA take a proactive approach The NBA's move to move the All-Star Game out of North Carolina makes me very proud as a member of the NBA family, and the NBA's move sets a positive example for us."
However, the NBA's official support for LGBT has laid the foundation early. In 2007, star player Tim Hardaway, who retired in 2007, publicly stated in an interview that he hates and is homophobic, which also triggered comprehensive criticism from the NBA at the time.John Amaechi, the first NBA player to come out as gay, believes this kind of rhetoric is a source of hatred, Pat Riley, who once coached Hardaway, also said that the comments of his former disciples could not be tolerated, and then NBA commissioner David Stern immediately removed Hardaway from his title of NBA ambassador and banned him from participating in any promotional activities.
In 2013, Collins announced that he came out as gay, becoming the first openly gay player in the history of mainstream sports in North America. The following year, he published "I'm Out" on his personal blog to express his journey. At this time, Adam Silver also took office as the NBA's head coach. President, and supported Collins' decision to come out, which also established Silver and the NBA's consistent stance on LGBT issues.
In 2015, Rajon Rondo, who was still with the Kings, insulted Billy Kennedy with contemptuous words for being gay. Kennedy immediately came out publicly to defend himself, "I am very proud to be an NBA referee and also very proud to be gay. No one should be held responsible for his sexual orientation." And feel ashamed." Silver also publicly supported Kennedy and gave Rondo a one-game suspension. In addition, Silver led all NBA employees to participate in the Gay Pride Parade in 2016, and combined the slogan "NBA Pride" with the logo of the 30 teams into a rainbow version of T-shirts. This was also the first time that a North American professional sport has launched a support for gay issues. merchandise, the NBA will also donate all proceeds from sales to the campus gay youth support group GLSEN.
The unanimous stance of NBA executives also affects the attitudes of teams and players. Nets forward Kenneth Faried took his gay mother to film a video to support Collins shortly after he came out as gay. The Golden 1 Center, home of the Kings, opened gender-friendly restrooms as early as 2016, making it the first LGBT-friendly venue in the history of professional sports. Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said the NBA has a good gender-friendly stance, "We want to be The most equal and fraternity league." In addition to the Kings, the Suns and Bucks have also successively established gender-friendly environments.
2019 All-Star Game Returns to Charlotte
Within a year of the promulgation of HB2, North Carolina was boycotted by all parties. In addition to the NBA, the NCAA also announced that it would cancel hundreds of events originally planned to be held in North Carolina. Even Google stopped its original investment plan, and the United States The Department of Justice believed that HB2 violated the Civil Rights Act, so it ordered that the bill should not be implemented and launched a lawsuit with the North Carolina government. The new North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced the withdrawal of the HB2 bill under pressure from various public opinions.
The NBA also announced soon that the 2019 All-Star Game will return to Charlotte. The happiest person is Michael Jordan. Hosting the All-Star Game is an opportunity for him to improve the basketball height and venue usage of the Hornets. Because of the HB2 bill, the Hornets not only lost The All-Star Game, and the cancellation of many sports events and concerts due to the boycott in North Carolina, also indirectly affected the Hornets' revenue and operations. Therefore, Michael Jordan's running and lobbying is a key to Charlotte's ability to regain the star game. "I want to use my influence to do the right thing." Michael Jordan said.
As one of the most popular professional leagues in the world, in addition to exciting star basketball competitions, the NBA is committed to creating an environment and core values for society that tolerates diverse cultures and values, and uses its own influence and stage to do more meaningful things. thing.
