The NCAA Board of Governors has expanded the association’s existing Confederate flag policy to prevent any NCAA championship events from being played in states where the symbol has a prominent presence. Mississippi is the only state currently affected by the expanded policy, the NCAA said.
The NCAA previously barred the awarding of sites determined in advance of a championship in states that displayed the Confederate flag — the NCAA Confederate flag policy was first enacted in 2001 by the NCAA Executive Committee, according to the announcement last Friday. If a college or university team earned the right to host a championship game based on its tournament seeding or ranking, however, the team previously could host on its college campus or in its home territory.
In 2014, the old policy was reviewed at the request of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee but went unchanged at the time.
“There is no place in college athletics or the world for symbols or acts of discrimination and oppression,” Michael V. Drake, chair of the NCAA board and president of the Ohio State University, said. “We must continually evaluate ways to protect and enhance the championship experience for college athletes. Expanding the Confederate flag policy to all championships is an important step by the NCAA to further provide a quality championship experience for college athletes. Expanding the Confederate flag policy to all championships is an important step by the NCAA to further provide a quality experience for all participants and fans.”
The news comes shortly after the NCAA said it would review Idaho’s law barring transgender women and girls from competing in women’s and girls’ sports at the high school and collegiate level in the state. Forty-plus college swimmers, and a total of more than 400 college athletes, signed a letter to the NCAA asking it not to host events in the state earlier this month.
“Competing in an NCAA championship is a special experience for college athletes who compete at the highest level and we are grateful for the college athlete voice leading to this decision,” Mark Emmert, NCAA president, said. “We must do all we can to ensure that NCAA actions reflect our commitment to inclusion and support all our student-athletes. There can be no place within college sports where any student-athlete is demeaned or unwelcome.”
Between that and then banning championships with the LBGTQ laws, the NCAA is quickly running out of states to host anything
CHAZCHOPISTAN May meet their critetion. They’d have to put in some new facilities…
I have not commented here in awhile, but I frequent this site and do read a lot of comments . And frankly the comments section in the last 2 months are completely embarrassing, hateful, and sometimes downright racist.
There a massive issues in this country right now between boiling racism and a virus that’s trying it’s best to kill people. States (Well some states) are trying to do the best that they can to keep people safe. Whether that be police reform, making people wear masks, working/learning remote, and god forbid shutting down swimming pools, they’re goal is to keep people safe.
And all you bastards seems to care about is that you don’t get to watch swimming… Read more »
You say Tomaaato, others say TomAto! Thank goodness we live in a country where we have so much freedom. A country where many of my brothers died to protect. Racism is an ugly and evil part of the human condition which has existed for centuries well beyond our shores. You refer to posters on this site as “bastards”, ask that others extend empathy and stop watching Fox News in an attempt to self-educate. Hmmm. I suggest people watch CNN, NBS, NPR and Fox in order to attempt to wade through the BS coming from the far right and left. Perhaps you will benefit by traveling to other 3rd world nations, see the abject poverty, lack of any human rights and… Read more »
People are entitled to their opinions and it’s healthy to debate during these times. None of us will ever 100% agree with one another and trying to convince them when to speak and what to read/watch and how to react isn’t helping. I respect your opinions, but don’t tell me how I should go about my business.
Tomato, you have so many points to address here …. but really you need to check all your assumptions about what you think you know.
Have you ever watched Fox News? How do you know it’s any better or worse than what you watch?
Which states are doing a better job? The ones with more deaths And higher unemployment? But they’re doing a better job because their governors are in the same political party you identify with?
You may disagree with this but from your post, it doesn’t seem like you’ve done the necessary work of ever trying to play devils advocate when presented with information. We ALL must do that when we read or hear things.
Throw in some Brietbart and Daily Wire too. There’s some good journalism out there if you are willing to be open to multiple sources. Even CNN and HuffPo publish a good piece once or twice a year.
Thank you Tomato – I’ve also been sickened and disgusted by the racism, sexism, and hatefulness of the comments section lately. I thought our swimming community was a little more enlightened, empathic, and educated, but yet I find myself disappointed time and time again, lately.
Kind of an empty gesture, what championships were being held in MS anyway? PR win for the NCAA with no real world implications.
Portions of NCAA Women’s basketball tournaments and NCAA baseball tournaments are the most prominently-impacted at the D1 level. They weren’t hosting championship rounds generally, but they were hosting early rounds (regionals, super regionals), so those hosting abilities are now gone. Not as big as, say, the men’s basketball tournament, but in 2019, the women’s opening round games were nearly sellouts (around 10,000 spectators at each). The baseball games pulled in around 25,000 spectators for 2 games in the Super Regional, which is over a sellout.
So, no, it’s not going to destroy the local finances. It will bring some hurt to local businesses, and by extension tax revenue, especially with baseball, which can provide an economic boost for college towns… Read more »
ok wat
I was just going to add some incendiary comment but then I realized that this is social media and it would do nothing to bring about anything meaningful.
Jason Whitlock (formerly of ESPN) wrote an excellent piece that may help BossaNova (and others) gain some healthy perspective:
https://outkick.com/fakenoose-story-proves-racism-is-our-new-religion/
I like how this is what people are choosing to be upset about. Bubba never saw it for himself and was told by someone else about it. There have been numerous hangings of black people around the country over the past few weeks that have been called suicides but clearly were not. How did the fbi quickly figure out this case but those are left untouched and unthought about. Racism has always been a problem in the US and it’s continuously ignored and swept under the rug. Bubba reacted like that initially because he, along with plenty other minorities are hurt and tired of the treatment they’ve received for hundreds of years. People like you, either uneducated, privileged, or both… Read more »
As Americans, I fully respect people’s right to protest.
What I question is people always feeling aggrieved.
Have you yourself experienced racism? I would argue that currently, our country is the least racist it has ever been. I would never argue we have a perfect history, but name me one country that does. And we need to constantly strive to get better, but not through hollow gestures but actual real conversations.
Systematic overhaul is a very lazy and ineffective way to make change. Change always must begin and end with the individual (through education, etc.). I’m pretty sure Martin Luther King Jr. understood this as his goal wasn’t to destroy, but rather to educate/shed light.
Thanks for the exchange… Read more »
The US very well might be the least racist it’s ever been but that’s not necessarily a tall order considering our history over the past 100 years alone (Jim Crow/segregation/mass incarceration). We shouldn’t strive for mediocrity (at best) when it comes to equal rights. You’re also cherry-picking some of MLK’s platforms to fit your narrative. Even if you do chose to subscribe to the white-washed MLK’s ideals from above, you’re failing to mention how despised he was during the 60’s and that he was murdered by a white American. While your assertions may be partially true @HISWIMCOACH, you’re completely neglecting context.
I’m black male and currently a D1 collegiate swimmer. I’ve experienced my fair share of racism in my lifetime. I agree that properly educating is very important for learning and moving forward but at the same time that has been attempted and ignored many times before. I’m not 100% for all the protests, rioting, and looting that has occurred but at the same time I cannot 100% disagree with it. It has seen progress so I can not condemn it.
The riots and looting aren’t helping the movement and PEW research has found that 1/6 of the protesters are black with 46% of them being white. Now this on the surface isn’t bad news and illustrates that the movement is made up of multiple ethnic groups.
I do think there are a large number of people taking the opportunity to loot and vandalize with no regards to the cause and this isn’t helping. There’s no justification in destroying businesses and property as it negatively impacts the community which these protests are supposed to benefit.
Direct action works.
Atlanta is as unsafe as one of the worst 3rd world countries out there. I guess in today’s world, if you drive drunk, fall asleep at a drive-thru, resist arrest and then flee pointing a taser at law enforcement you can become a martyr that causes all kinds of looting, arson and riots. I agree there needs to be reforms with law enforcement, especially unions, but this guy isn’t a martyr in my opinion.
I guess if you’re a cop in Atlanta you can kick the struggling body of a man you shot in the back and people will instead choose to be mostly angry about riots with a little footnote about how we should have a lil bit of police reform.
But GUERRA, if we get rid of the police that won’t be a problem.
I guess it’s not a crime if there’s no one left to enforce the law. 😂
Ironic that a guy who wants to get rid of the police is stealing 😉
The NCAA also announced today they will no longer have sanctioned events in San Francisco because rioters there defaced and destroyed the statue of the Union general who defeated the Confederacy (US Grant) while the police stood by and did nothing. Crazy times.