What do these guys have in common?
It seems everyone is checking in with an opinion on Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. My rant was posted on Facebook last week, giving me plenty of time to calm down (a little) before traveling to the men’s NCAA Final Four on Friday.
Politicians are arguing. Our governor here in Connecticut says no official state business travel to Indiana until it all gets straightened out. UConn coach Kevin Ollie and his staff won’t be traveling to Indy for the coaches’ convention. Good thing this wasn’t last year.
Coaches at Binghamton followed suit. Now we’ve heard from the coaches headed to the Final Four (after getting this far, they can’t exactly boycott the event) and UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma. And why not? Auriemma is a Hall of Famer, the John Wooden of women’s hoops – and the women’s Final Four is scheduled for Indy next year.
Geno is never at a loss for an opinion. Once in a while he is wrong. But so many times, he just says what everyone else wishes they could articulate half as well.
Check out what Geno had to say here.
Perfect.
Wednesday, the National Association of Basketball Coaches facilitated a conference call between the four coaches playing this week in the 2015 NCAA Mens Final Four in Indianapolis to discuss concerns expressed regarding the Indiana act.
On the call, the four coaches John Calipari of the University of Kentucky, Tom Izzo of Michigan State University, Bo Ryan of the University of Wisconsin and Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University were in unanimous support of the policies expressed by their institutions and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The following is their statement:
”We are aware of the recent actions in Indiana and have made a point to talk about this sensitive and important issue among ourselves and with our teams. Each of us strongly supports the positions of the NCAA and our respective institutions on this matter that discrimination of any kind should not be tolerated. As a part of Americas higher education system, college basketball plays an important role in diversity, equality, fairness and inclusion, and will continue to do so in the future.”
That is playing it straight – and that’s fine. It’s a great teaching moment for these NCAA “student-athletes.”
And when it comes to the entertainment world, after Jim Nabors singing “Back Home Again in Indiana,” who else to you think of but David Letterman? Isn’t Letterman the Chamber of Commerce spokesman for Indiana?
Maybe not anymore.
“This is not the Indiana I remember as a kid,” Letterman said during his show Tuesday night.
Check out the video of his hilarious Top 10 list here.
I’ve been to every Final Four since 1985. Part of me wants to boycott this weekend and stay home. But why should I miss Kentucky’s attempt at basketball history just because a few bigots wrote some bad legislation?
Eventually, Indiana will pay for this. Gov. Mike Pence (R) may already be the most hated man in America – regardless of how he tries to wiggle out of this.
Back home again, indeed.
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