The White House endorsed the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s decision to find a new place for all the championship games planned for North Carolina in the coming academic year because of a state law forcing people to use restrooms that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificate.
Reacting to the new NCAA news, deputy White House press secretary Erik Schultz said President Obama has called the bathroom law “mean-spirited and misguided, contrary to values and bad [for] business.”
“The NCCA’s decision is evidence of that,” Schultz told reporters traveling with Obama to Philadelphia on Air Force One.
The NCAA on Monday announced that none of its championship games would take place in North Carolina, including the organization’s most prominent event, the Division I mens’ basketball tournament, which had six first-and second-round games scheduled to be played in Greensboro in March.
“NCAA championships and events must promote an inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. Current North Carolina state laws make it challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver on that commitment,” the NCAA board of governors said in a statement.
