College Sports Officials Will Reconsider Cities Chosen to Host Championships

The National Collegiate Athletic Association reportedly is pivoting in its stance on host cities for its championships, and will now reconsider those sites based on local, city and state laws and ordinances, among other factors.

The announcement, reported by the Indianapolis Star, came in the form of an emailed statement by Bob Williams, NCAA senior vice president for communications, on November 12. Williams stresses this "review" will include some cities already chosen as hosts, including the NCAA's hometown of Indianapolis:

"We'll continue to review current events in all cities bidding on NCAA championships and events, as well as cities that have already been named as future host sites, such as Indianapolis."

Indiana remains locked in a heated debate between Democrats who are pressing for full equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and Republicans who want to enshrine their "religious liberty" into law.

Williams went on to state, "There are many factors in a thorough bid process that the NCAA considers when determining what cities will host the Final Four, including but not limited to local, city and state laws and ordinances."

The Star reported NCAA leaders declined to comment outside of that statement.

All this comes just weeks after voters in Houston, Texas repealed an ordinance that banned discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

However, Houston is in no danger of losing the men's basketball Final Four next year. "It takes years to plan and implement this world-class event," said Dan Gavitt, vice president of the men's basketball championship, in a statement to the Star. The NCAA has also already certified that the women's basketball Final Four in Indianapolis will go on as planned next April.