2017 All-Star Game Pulled From Charlotte Over HB2

Something I, as a Charlotte native, was incredibly excited about has been taken away from me and the rest of loyal Charlotte basketball fans, not to mention surrounding businesses.  Due to concerns over the now infamous House Bill 2, the NBA didn't want to ruffle feathers so they played it safe and moved their 2017 All-Star game, a weekend long event, from Charlotte to New Orleans. (New Orleans also robbed us of our number 1 draft pick a few years back but that's a different topic for another blog) It's not just the All-Star weekend that was taken from Charlotte, but also the economic stimulus that would have come with it. Hotels would have been fully booked all the way out to Gastonia. Restaurants fully booked, streets filled with activities and fans, etc.  Bottomline: TENS OF MILLIONS of dollars are now gone from Charlotte and local businesses!  Tens of millions that would have been earned in only 3 days!

I'm not going to get too political, but this is just another thing our governor has done TO us and not FOR us. If he would have shown at least a bit of interest in making changes to HB2, the chances are good that the All-Star game and everything that came with it (among other things the bill has taken away from our state) would still be in North Carolina.

With that being said, I have to say the Charlotte Hornets' organization has been very understanding when they have every right to be furious. So, here's the Hornets' response to the NBA All-Star game being pulled from Charlotte, according to Hornets.com:

“We understand the NBA’s decision and the challenges around holding the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte this season. There was an exhaustive effort from all parties to keep the event in Charlotte, and we are disappointed we were unable to do so. With that said, we are pleased that the NBA opened the door for Charlotte to host All-Star Weekend again as soon as an opportunity was available in 2019. We want to thank the City of Charlotte and the business community for their backing throughout this entire process, starting with the initial bid. We are confident that they will be just as supportive and enthusiastic for the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.”

Feel free to comment below.  I know this is a sensitive issue so I will stand back from the political side of it and focus on the sports side as a sports fan...This sucks!  I was really looking forward to the great city of Charlotte being on the map for one of sports' biggest events.  Celebrities everywhere, activities for fans, the Slam Dunk Contest!  All of it.  But hopefully in 2019, we will get to see the same excitement we thought we would see next year.

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