http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/fe...of-lgbt-rights
You think he's joking?
http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015...storation-act/
It's so great that conservatives worked so hard to lower the taxes of the overwhelmingly liberal billionaire class.
Putting aside for a moment how astounding it is to see sports, of all places, at the forefront of this social issue—it was only eight years ago that LeBron James said he’d be wary of having a gay teammate because he wouldn’t be “trustworthy”—the key to this backlash is that, generally speaking, when sports leagues put pressure on cities and states, the pressure is effective. We’ve in fact seen it with this exact law. It was less than a year ago that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed that state’s “religious freedoms” bill, in large part because the NFL was so angry, partly about the potential passage of the bill and mostly because it would be hosting the Super Bowl there in February 2015. The last thing the league wanted was the sort of protests Indianapolis will be receiving this weekend. (Compared to that, DeflateGate was a breeze.) Brewer did not deny that the league’s threats—including a leak to Sports Illustrated that the league was already looking into possible relocation scenarios that it would enact if she signed the law—were a major reason she vetoed the bill. There were (probably overinflated) estimates that the Super Bowl would bring nearly $500 million to the Phoenix economy—though not Glendale—and Brewer could not afford to risk losing that. So she caved. The message was undeniable: Sports leagues, for pure business reasons, could not abide anti-gay legislation, which is precisely what the new Indiana law is considered by so many to be.
If sports leagues turn on Indiana, as it appears will be the case if the law is not repealed (and Pence repeatedly said it wouldn’t), it could be devastating for Indianapolis. Long a sleepy, cloudy, industrial burg, Indianapolis has sprung to life in recent years, in large part because of a sparkling new airport (built in large part to help spur a Super Bowl visit) and a vibrant, walkable downtown that’s ideal for hosting sporting events. This will be its seventh Final Four, it regularly hosts the Big Ten Tournament (this Illinois grad can verify that Indianapolis is hands-down the best B1G tourney host) and, most impressively, it received widespread plaudits for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. The NFL was so pleased with how well-run and well-organized that Super Bowl was—and how there were enough hotels and restaurants downtown to satisfy all the visitors, particularly when everyone can just walk to the stadium and walk home—that it was widely assumed that Indianapolis would be receiving another Super Bowl down the line, perhaps as early as 2019. There’s no chance of that now, not while that law still exists. In fact, as long as that law is on the books, it’s difficult to imagine any sports organization placing any major event in Indianapolis: It is simply against the current prevailing corporate culture, in sports or otherwise. It is plain bad business for the NFL to mess with that. There is no Super Bowl in Indianapolis’ future, not anymore.
If sports leagues turn on Indiana, as it appears will be the case if the law is not repealed (and Pence repeatedly said it wouldn’t), it could be devastating for Indianapolis. Long a sleepy, cloudy, industrial burg, Indianapolis has sprung to life in recent years, in large part because of a sparkling new airport (built in large part to help spur a Super Bowl visit) and a vibrant, walkable downtown that’s ideal for hosting sporting events. This will be its seventh Final Four, it regularly hosts the Big Ten Tournament (this Illinois grad can verify that Indianapolis is hands-down the best B1G tourney host) and, most impressively, it received widespread plaudits for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. The NFL was so pleased with how well-run and well-organized that Super Bowl was—and how there were enough hotels and restaurants downtown to satisfy all the visitors, particularly when everyone can just walk to the stadium and walk home—that it was widely assumed that Indianapolis would be receiving another Super Bowl down the line, perhaps as early as 2019. There’s no chance of that now, not while that law still exists. In fact, as long as that law is on the books, it’s difficult to imagine any sports organization placing any major event in Indianapolis: It is simply against the current prevailing corporate culture, in sports or otherwise. It is plain bad business for the NFL to mess with that. There is no Super Bowl in Indianapolis’ future, not anymore.
http://nascartalk.nbcsports.com/2015...storation-act/
NASCAR’s Brett Jewkes, senior vice president and chief communications officer, issued a statement as Pence spoke Tuesday.
“NASCAR is disappointed by the recent legislation passed in Indiana. We will not embrace nor participate in exclusion or intolerance. We are committed to diversity and inclusion within our sport and therefore will continue to welcome all competitors and fans at our events in the state of Indiana and anywhere else we race.”
“NASCAR is disappointed by the recent legislation passed in Indiana. We will not embrace nor participate in exclusion or intolerance. We are committed to diversity and inclusion within our sport and therefore will continue to welcome all competitors and fans at our events in the state of Indiana and anywhere else we race.”
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