played without leading scorer Thierry Henry, from corse178's blog
Often reticent about getting involved in divisive politics, the sporting world has been on quite an activist roll when it comes to North Carolina. Lou Brock Jersey .It started with the NBA stripping away its lucrative All-Star Game from Charlotte because of a state law that limits protections for LGBT people. The NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference followed suit this week, reclaiming a host of major events including the first and seconds rounds of the mens basketball tournament and the ACC football championship.Theres still room to dole out more financial pain, but that would require NASCAR and golf -- two entities with a hefty stake in the Tar Heel state -- to step up.Not going to happen.NASCAR, which has its headquarters, its hall of fame and one of its biggest races in the Charlotte area, is not the least bit inclined to get involved in the fight over HB2, the so-called bathroom law.Already struggling to fill seats and draw television viewers, the organization is undoubtedly mindful that its conservative fan base wouldnt take kindly to anything that sounds the least bit progressive.Ditto for golf, another sport that its fair to say comes down largely on the right side of the political spectrum. Theres zero chance that next years PGA Championship will be held anywhere other than Charlottes Quail Hollow Club or, looking much further down the road, that the 2024 U.S. Open wont be held at Pinehurst.Lets face it: If youre on a quest for social justice, better look elsewhere.Nothing to see here.NASCAR czar Brian France couldve made quite a splash by threatening to move his companys headquarters to a more-inclusive state or pull the two races held each year at Charlotte Motor Speedway -- one on Memorial Day weekend, the other part of the end-of-the-season playoff.Instead, hes continually talked out of both sides of his mouth, expressing opposition to the law but not doing anything to show hes really displeased.We dont agree with the law, he said again this week. Anything that has a discriminating component to it, we are not in favor of it. I have voiced my views directly to the governor. We are working with the governor to express our disappointment in that bill. But we dont write legislation. We are going to continue to work behind the scenes to express our values and the things that we think are important.The PGA of America sounded a similar theme when asked about holding its 2017 championship in a state that not only requires transgender people to use restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate, but excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from any sort of statewide antidiscrimination protections.We are trying to do everything we can, as part of our strategic plan for our organization in golf, to make the game as inclusive as possible, said Pete Bevacqua, the PGAs chief executive officer. Were not perfect. Were trying.Not trying hard enough.Then again, when has golf -- or NACAR, for that matter -- ever taken a leading role to make society more inclusive?Golf had a Caucasian-only clause in its rulebook until 1961, kept holding tournaments at private clubs that discriminated against African-Americans and other ethnic and religious groups until the early 1990s, and continues to grapple with the issue of male-only memberships. NASCAR has its roots in the segregationist South and only in recent years took a stand against the Confederate flag.Bevacqua has made it clear that next years PGA Championship will be held at Quail Hollow, no matter what happens with HB2 after the November election.North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, a strong supporter of the law, is running for another term, even while facing condemnation from a broad spectrum that also includes musicians and the businesses community.More troubling, Bevacqua wouldnt even commit to the PGA of American barring another major championship from being awarded to North Carolina if the law remains on the books.Well see how it goes next year, he said recently during this years PGA Championship at Baltusrol. We think its going to be and we know its going to be a wonderful championship when you get to the site and when the best players in the world descend on that golf course and play a golf course that they will never have seen in terms of the changes that have been made.See, it doesnt matter whats going on outside the gates as long as the greens are in tip-top condition.Bevacqua went on to parrot the message that France has been regurgitating over and over again: Hey, theres only so much a multibillion-dollar industry can do, despite all evidence to the contrary.We cant control the policies, the rules and the regulations around the country and municipalities and states, Bevacqua said. We can only do what we can do. And well try to make that PGA Championship -- like we do every PGA Championship -- enjoyable, inclusive, and shine a great light on our organization and the game of golf.Too bad hes not willing to shine that bright light on what matters.---Paul Newberry is a sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at pnewberry(at)ap.org or at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963 . His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/paul-newberry . Ken Boyer Jersey . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Carlos Martinez Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.authenticcardinalspro.com/cardinals-albert-pujols-jersey/ . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Lloyd Sam scored in the 55th minute to lift the first-place New York Red Bulls to a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution on Saturday night. Sam scored a minute after Diego Fagundez had put the Revolution ahead. Eastern Conference-leading New York (6-4-3) extended its unbeaten streak to 4-0-1. The Red Bulls also increased their winless stretch at Gillette Stadium to 17 matches since their last win here on June 29, 2002. New England (2-4-4) stretched is winless streak to 0-1-2. The Red Bulls played without leading scorer Thierry Henry, while the Revolutions Jerry Bengtson was on the bench to start the game. After a scoreless first half, Fagundez punched the back of the net in the 54th minute when he converted a corner kick by Chhris Tierney. Red Schoendienst Jersey. New York answered right back when Sam got a hold of a pass from Andre Akpan and slid it past Bobby Shuttleworth. Fagundez nearly scored again in the 80th when he steered Tierneys pass right on target that Luis Robles made a superb save on. Fagundez skied one last chance over the crossbar in stoppage time. Forward Dimitry Imbongo made his first start of the season, and picked up the Revolutions first shot on net in the 38th minute. He played 74 minutes before being replaced by Bengtson. Kalifa Cisse was issued a yellow card in the 19th minute after he was forced to foul Akpan, who took the ball from Cisse on a poor pass and nearly went alone on goal before Shuttleworth raced off his line to stop the opportunity. Cheap Jerseys 2020 Jerseys From ChinaWholesale Jerseys 2018 Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Wholesale ' ' '
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