NCAA Announces Anti-Discrimination Process for Potential Championship Hosts

The NCAA Board of Governors held its quarterly meeting in Indianapolis on Wednesday and “took steps to protect participants and spectators from discrimination” at its sanctioned events, per Brian Hendrickson of NCAA.com.

Those steps included instituting new rules for sites hosting or bidding for the right to host NCAA events. The criteria are to ensure there is no discrimination in place and the players and those in attendance have a safe environment.   

Hendrickson said the Board of Governors' decision was in response to some state legislatures that “have passed laws allowing residents to refuse to provide services to some people based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Those in favor of the laws often feel they protect religious freedom, but others feel as if they allow “sanctioned discrimination,” per Hendrickson.

The NCAA already had rules in place that promoted access for those with disabilities, and it will merge its new criteria into the bidding process for championships.

Kirk Schulz, who is the Kansas State University president and the chair of the Board of Governors, commented on the motivation behind the new requirements, per Hendrickson:

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The higher education community is a diverse mix of people from different racial, ethnic, religious and sexual orientation backgrounds. So it is important that we assure that community – including our student-athletes and fans – will always enjoy the experience of competing and watching at NCAA championships without concerns of discrimination.

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Hendrickson noted the NCAA has often used the championship sites and the events themselves as a way of establishing its values. He pointed to the fact the NCAA "prohibits championships events with predetermined sites in states where governments display the Confederate battle flag." Schools are also not allowed to host championship events if their “nicknames use Native American imagery that is considered abusive and offensive.”

This decision comes after NCAA President Mark Emmert publicly expressed concerns about new legislation in North Carolina, per Josh Peter of USA Today.

Peter said Emmert talked with North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory about McCrory's decision to overturn an anti-discrimination ordinance in Charlotte. Emmert indicated that decision—and the fact the General Assembly stopped individual cities from passing further protections for sexual orientation and gender identity—could impact NCAA championships to be held in the state.

Peter noted there are “at least 20 championship events in the next two-plus years” scheduled to take place around North Carolina. Those events include the NCAA men's basketball tournament and the Division I Women’s College Cup soccer finals.

Emmert said he “made sure [McCrory] understood in that we were in a watch-and-monitor mode.”

Hendrickson noted the NCAA expects to fully implement the new requirements during the current bidding process for championship events. Hendrickson also said “the status of currently awarded sites will be reported to the Board of Governors Ad Hoc Committee to Promote Cultural Diversity and Equity.”