ACC relocating all neutral-site championships from North Carolina, due to HB2

The ACC, headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., had waited and waited to act on HB2. As Sean pointed out yesterday, the league’s hand has now been forced by the NCAA’s decision to move all neutral-site championships from the state of North Carolina.

Today, the ACC determined it would do the same:

The decision came at the scheduled ACC Council of Presidents meeting at Clemson. Those discussions started at noon ET, and the conference was swift with a statement and now gets to work on moving those respective championships.

The full list, for those curious: Football, Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving, Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Tennis, Men’s and Women's Golf and Baseball.

Football is obviously the headliner here. The game has been played in Charlotte, N.C. nearly every year since its inception in 2005.

The moves by the ACC and NCAA, respectively, are the latest in a string of major sporting events to be moved from the state — and Charlotte, in particular, which is not the epicenter of where this law originated at all. In July, the NBA elected to move its annual All-Star Game from Charlotte (home of the Hornets) due to the law. The further removal of major events will cost the state and the city of Charlotte millions in lost tourism dollars.

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As of today, HB2 remains in place, though or how long at this point? Granted, the NCAA and ACC probably should’ve acted in this manner long ago. But the impact now as sports organizations squeeze the state on transgender discrimination issues is still pretty strong.

Any adjustment to the law is unlikely to reverse any of the ACC or NCAA’s short-term decisions, even if that change comes quickly. The state of North Carolina has a critical decision to make that will likely impact its growth and external investment for years to come.

Your move, N.C. GOP.

UPDATE: Syracuse makes a brief statement about being on-board with the decision (as you’d expect since they definitely had a vote in the decision).