The first time I covered the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament was at the Joel in 2007, gathering string for my friend Sammy Albano’s website, Inside the Big East. I remember seeing Carolina take two wins and witnessed a Georgetown sweep on their way to the Final Four.
I covered it again in Raleigh the next year, when Carolina again took their first two games — amazing, isn’t it, how often the Tarheels always manage to begin March Madness with a nice home stretch? — and Davidson beat Georgetown at the front end of a good, deep run.
I was in the Greensboro Coliseum when Duke, a school that also seems to play an inordinate amount of early rounds near home, lost to Lehigh in 2012. It was indelible moment in my career, not just because I called the upset before halftime, but because I will never forget the thousands of Duke fans sitting in the stands with arms crossed and disgusted looks on their faces as they realized it was over for them in the first round. It was like someone had stolen their birthright.
There’s a reason that the NCAA has so many times chosen venues in North Carolina to host the early rounds of its most spectacular tournament, and it goes far beyond insulating UNC and Duke for the final — and most-watched — rounds of play, though that is certainly part of it.
It’s because fans in this basketball-crazy state know how to appreciate the exciting upsets and volatile matchups of the early rounds.[pullquote]And now, in the eyes of the NCAA, we are not so much basketball crazy as just plain crazy.[/pullquote]
And now, in the eyes of the NCAA, we are not so much basketball crazy as just plain crazy.
When the biggest college sports association on the planet blackballs an entire state from tournament play — particularly a state like ours, which has some of the most popular franchises within the organization — it means we really screwed up.
Not just the legislators who passed the abomination of HB 2, which has been like skunk spray to the reputation of this state, but the voters who elected them, the handicappers who funded them and all the people who stood quiet as they ran roughshod over this land of hoops and sunshine.
This reactionary makeover of our state has been going on for a long time; we all bear some responsibility. It won’t stop until we make some changes.
But if anything has the power to force North Carolina into the modern era, it’s college basketball. If Duke and UNC begin to lose their early games without the benefit of home-court advantage, expect a full-scale rebellion.
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Have you noticed the UNC rape case began a few months ago. Now that it hit media, the governing bodies responsible for the athlete are boycotting the state! This is pure smoke screen! Women and the voters of NC are loosing!
The world is full of behaviors! People are skate boards, bikers, gymnasts etc! The constitution gives us the freedom to discuss the merits of each! However, over the past 8 years somebody decided to make a behavior a protected minority! So, now discussions that are not flattering to that behavior are now hate speech! In fact, scientific facts that don’t follow the party line are now hate speech even though they are true!
The fact is, the majority of people who have gender reassignment surgery have the procedure reversed! That’s an expensive mistake! The fact is, none of the people are happier after reassignment! None! Its easy to blame society! “They make me feel this way.” But, in the end we are all responsible for our emotions! These are the facts! They may hurt but they are the truth!
Other truths, gay animals also have sex with juvenile members of there species! They have sex to prove dominance! They have sex with other species. We have all seen domesticated dogs try to hum objects. Yet the gay agenda can claim that animals having sex with same gender makes it natural but conveniently call the other facts racist!
The facts are MSM (Males having Sex with Males) is…lets say not a natural sexual orifice! I could list the truth but to some it will be hate to others disgusting!
In the end, it is a behavior! I really don’t care who does what to who in private! But, I refuse to remain silent while science and reason are labeled hate because it is inconvenient!
What is the next behavior to become a protected minority that politicians want to create? Should we make gun control groups minorities? I bet they are tired of people criticizing their behavior! I know it sounds silly. I mean you cannot look at a person and determine they are a gun control member! But, that’s the point! For the most part you cannot tell if a person is gay or just overly masculine female!
Recently a USC researcher did a study that determined homosexuals are under represented on screen! I beg to differ! The majority of characters are in fact asexual! We make the assumption they are heterosexual! Unless someone is talking about the act or doing the act, we really don’t know! Case in point evidently Dumbledore is gay! You don’t know! The only way to increase the amount of gay characters is to have more people talk about gay behavior or portray gay behavior! The same thing with bikers, gymnast, and gun control activists!
The truth is making homosexuality a protected minority doesn’t just reduce freedom of speech, it also reduces the rights of actual real life minorities that disserve our protection! Take for instance Hollywood! In comparison to general society, the act of homosexuality is overrepresented in Hollywood! We just saw last year Oscars had no African American or Asian nominees! Why, because everybody in Hollywood knew a gay person, was related to a gay person, or were gay themselves. They look like them talk like them and are related to them. Real minorities that should be protected didn’t look like them! They weren’t related to them. So, they patted themselves on the back for being diverse and forgot to actually nominate an actual minority!’
Here is a question, should a person who claims to be gay whose parents are Caucasian and graduated from Harvard get preferential treatment and a full ride to Harvard over an African American! I say not! In fact there is historical evidence that people have claimed to be gay to avoid the draft! Does anybody remember the names of all those celebrities that claimed to be gay, increased there spotlight only to be ignored when marrying an opposite sex partner! That didn’t get nearly the attention! Every day the list grows!
In the end this is hypocrisy! The truth even though it is the truth is now hate speech and banned! The ACC, NBA, and NCAA can boycott NC but they demand a bakery bake a cake for a gay wedding! The ACC conveniently makes this decision after a UNC student is raped! The multiple incidence of men peeping in Target over the past year hasn’t made it to national news because… Its hate speech!
This is a simple case of modern day witch hunt! If you don’t agree with a policy your racist! If you accuse others of it you get special treatment. In this case the ACC and NCAA get time off from sexual abuse scandal. The NBA gets out of a domestic abuse scandal! But what about the women who have been raped and now must undress in front of someone toying with the notion of being a female! What about her! What about the voter who is disenfranchised because of this! You think my opinion is hate, I think your acts are unconstitutional! You cannot just invent your own protected minority and hope that all your sins go away! Where would we be today if the behavior of owning a slave became a protected minority and opposition was ruled a hate crime! This is a simple case of ends not justifying means! Everybody should be scared! Because if democrats are allowed to do this now. What will happen when the pendulum swings! I warned you!