NBA Boycotted North Carolina Over Transgender Bathroom Bill, But Ignores Utah

The NBA may be quietly acknowledging that their commitment to woke ideology may be slipping.

That's the implication of their actions on transgender legislation, anyway.

Due to legislation on transgender bathroom use, the league decided to move their All-Star Game out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

At the time, the league issued a statement saying they did not believe they could "successfully host' the game there because of the "climate" created by the bill.

"While we recognize that the NBA cannot choose the law in every city, state, and country in which we do business, we do not believe we can successfully host our All-Star festivities in Charlotte in the climate created by HB2," the statement read.

With profound hypocrisy, just a few years later, the league hosted preseason games in the United Arab Emirates. The UAE criminalizes homosexuality, and has previously detained transgender individuals attempting to enter the country.

READ: NBA, ESPN MUM ON HOLDING GAMES IN A PLACE WHERE GAYS AND TRANSGENDERS CAN FACE DEATH

Now, the league is even more quiet about their upcoming All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Even though Utah, just last month, passed legislation banning gender-affirming care for children.

Surprising, isn't it?

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 02: NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media prior to Game One of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Boston Celtics at Chase Center on June 02, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

What's Changed for the NBA?

The Utah Senate passed another bill preventing the issuance of gender-amended birth certificates to children as well.

So why isn't the NBA furiously moving the All-Star Game out of Utah while issuing a disgusted statement condemning such practices?

What's changed from Charlotte in 2017?

It's impossible to say for certain, but one possible explanation is the financial cost.

The NBA famously took a massive ratings hit over the past few years. And ratings drives profits.

Their political posturing, blatant activism and seeming disregard for half the country undoubtedly hurt the league's financial standing. Moving the All-Star Game and further alienating fans may have become an untenable option, costing them even more money.

Perhaps they also finally realized that as a professional sports league, they had no business commenting on legislation. Or maybe they saw how MLB's decision to move the All-Star Game out of Georgia backfired after record voter turnout.

Whatever their true motivations, this can only be viewed as an overwhelming positive for the sports world.

Leagues, and the NBA in particular, have openly supported one side of the cultural debate. In general, they've almost immediately caved to the demands of the left, no matter how irrelevant to their business.

While those political stances may earn them points among the minority of woke fans and sportswriters, it alienates others.

Maybe the NBA has finally accepted that there is little to gain, but much to lose from taking political stances. Similar to the same lesson Disney and many other corporations have had to learn.

Now if only they could tell hockey teams to figure it out too.