The NCAA has held its Division III men's and women's soccer championships at predetermined neutral sites every year since 2004, and three of those (2004, 2005, 2008) have been held in North Carolina. d3photography.com file photo by Larry Radloff

Based on the NCAA's commitment to fairness and inclusion, the Association will relocate all seven previously awarded championship events, two of which are Division III championships, from North Carolina during the 2016-17 academic year. The NCAA Board of Governors made this decision because of the cumulative actions taken by the state concerning civil rights protections, according to an NCAA news release.

The decision will not affect early-round NCAA Tournament games that are held on campus, including many Division III events, but does include this upcoming year's men's and women's soccer and men's and women's tennis championships.

In its decision Monday, the Board of Governors said that NCAA championships and events must promote an inclusive atmosphere for all college athletes, coaches, administrators and fans. Current state laws in North Carolina make it challenging to guarantee that host communities can help deliver on that commitment if NCAA events remained in the state, the board said. 

“Fairness is about more than the opportunity to participate in college sports, or even compete for championships,” said Mark Emmert, NCAA president. “We believe in providing a safe and respectful environment at our events and are committed to providing the best experience possible for college athletes, fans and everyone taking part in our championships."

The board stressed that the dynamic in North Carolina is different from that of other states because of at least four specific factors: 

• North Carolina laws invalidate any local law that treats sexual orientation as a protected class or has a purpose to prevent discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individuals. 
• North Carolina has the only statewide law that makes it unlawful to use a restroom different from the gender on one’s birth certificate, regardless of gender identity.  
• North Carolina law provides legal protections for government officials to refuse services to the LGBT community. 
• Five states plus numerous cities prohibit travel to North Carolina for public employees and representatives of public institutions, which could include student-athletes and campus athletics staff. These states are New York, Minnesota, Washington, Vermont and Connecticut. 

“As representatives of all three divisions, the Board of Governors must advance college sports through policies that resolve core issues affecting student-athletes and administrators,” said G.P. “Bud” Peterson, Board of Governors chair and Georgia Institute of Technology president. “This decision is consistent with the NCAA's long-standing core values of inclusion, student-athlete well-being and creating a culture of fairness.”

These seven championship events will be relocated from North Carolina for 2016-17: 

• 2016 Division I Women’s Soccer Championship, College Cup (Cary), Dec. 2 and 4.   
• 2016 Division III Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championships (Greensboro), Dec. 2-3. (Moved to Salem, Va.)
• 2017 Division I Men’s Basketball Championship, first/second rounds (Greensboro), March 17 and 19. 
• 2017 Division I Women’s Golf Championships, regional (Greenville), May 8-10. 
• 2017 Division III Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships (Cary), May 22-27.  (Moved to Chattanooga, Tenn.)
• 2017 Division I Women’s Lacrosse Championship (Cary), May 26 and 28. 
• 2017 Division II Baseball Championship (Cary), May 27-June 3. 

“The NCAA Constitution clearly states our values of inclusion and gender equity, along with the membership’s expectation that we as the Board of Governors protect those values for all,” said Jay Lemons, president of Division III Susquehanna University, vice chair of the Board of Governors and chair of the ad hoc committee on diversity and inclusion. “Our membership comprises many different types of schools – public, private, secular, faith-based – and we believe this action appropriately reflects the collective will of that diverse group.”

Historically, the Association has taken steps to ensure its championship environment is consistent with its values. The NCAA bans championships in states where governments display the Confederate battle flag or authorize sports wagering and at schools that use hostile and abusive Native American imagery. 

The only championship events that can be hosted in North Carolina this academic year are those that are decided when student-athletes earn the opportunity to play a championship on their own campus. The Board of Governors said this decision to allow these championships – called nonpredetermined sites – to be played in North Carolina is consistent with the NCAA’s commitment to student-athletes.   

Based on an April directive from the Board of Governors, which represents all three divisions, cities interested in hosting future NCAA championships completed a questionnaire this summer that required sites to provide information about any local anti-discrimination laws; provisions for refusal of services; and other facility-specific information. 

A group of representatives from NCAA schools will continue to evaluate these responses to determine which locations can host future championships. These decisions, typically announced in early December, will be delayed until next year, Emmert said.