At the same time, by providing a clearer outline of what is not and is now acceptable, the NCAA has reassured not only North Carolina lawmakers, but also those in other states considering restrictions similar to those in North Carolina’s new law. In Texas, where next year’s Final Four is to be held (in San Antonio), the author of such a proposal, known as Senate Bill 6, or Texas Privacy Act, welcomed Tuesday’s decision the NCAA.
“I applaud the NCAA for now recognizing that there is nothing discriminatory about the Texas Privacy Act,” its author, Lois Kolkhorst, a Republican state senator, said in a statement. statement“or our honest efforts to address the serious issue of privacy and security in our public facilities and in school showers, locker rooms, and restrooms. »
While proponents on both sides of the debate have tended to describe North Carolina’s situation compromise deemed insufficientthe state’s business community, which opposed HB 2 on pragmatic grounds, viewed the NCAA’s decision as a high-profile justification.
“We are grateful to see that the NCAA has once again renewed its confidence in North Carolina and the Charlotte region,” said Tom Murray, executive director of the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. “The events the NCAA participates in are far more important to our region than just the significant economic impact they inject into our community. We are excited to be able to both partner with the NCAA and compete to host these events in the years to come.
J. Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., said that from a practical standpoint, “the reluctant hesitation but recognition of North Carolina having these opportunities from the NCAA will begin “will hopefully level the waters in this state” and “act, to outside companies, as a “signal to start putting North Carolina back on its opportunity plateau.”
