College Basketball
NCAA Opts Against a Hurricane Florence Relief Exhibition
Many families are still feeling the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, a devastating storm leaving many North and South Carolina citizens without homes or power. Two schools, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (UNC) and the University of South Carolina, came up with a great idea to help those struggling with Florence’s destruction.
The two schools agreed to play a friendly exhibition game against one another that would take place in Charlotte, North Carolina – a city that borders both states. The school’s idea was to give all of the proceeds to Hurricane Florence relief, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) decided against it.
Many fans didn’t agree with the NCAA’s decision, lashing out on social media.
@NCAA said no to an exhibition basketball game between Carolina and South Carolina that would’ve been held in Charlotte with all the proceeds going to Hurricane Florence relief. The NCAA sucks. Plain and simple.
— Tyler Hardee (@realTHards23) October 6, 2018
UNC and SCar wanted to play each other in Charlotte for a hurricane relief basketball game. All ticket proceeds of the game would go to people who need help in the recovery and cleanup effort of hurricane Florence. @ncaa be better that’s awful.
— Zac (@ZacClary11) October 5, 2018
#UNC and South Carolina men’s basketball tried to schedule a charity exhibition to benefit victims of Hurricane Florence.
The NCAA reportedly shut it down. https://t.co/g2YzZnhISC
— Tar Heel Blog (@tarheelblog) October 6, 2018
The Defense
The NCAA didn’t make the decision impulsively, as there are certain exhibition guidelines that schools must adhere to within the rules. Schools are allowed two exhibition games per season which include both a public and a private one. Private exhibitions do not allow media members or fans to attend, as head coaches are not even supposed to acknowledge it. The mixed message comes when the rule states that schools may use their second exhibition game for charity.
Neither school wanted to turn down their currently scheduled games, asking to add a third for the Hurricane Florence victims. The NCAA shot the idea down, which saw ESPN analyst Jay Bilas comment on the situation.
Of course the NCAA said no to this. After all, we can’t have schools using natural disasters to exploit players to generate revenue for third parties. https://t.co/1RESWe30wv
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) October 6, 2018
Almost a Done Deal
All parties including the Charlotte Hornets went around the NCAA to organize the game. Both coaches booked the game while Michael Jordan set up the Spectrum Center for the teams to play in. Despite this, the NCAA decided against the third exhibition game. They did, however, already approve multiple charity event games this season. One of which does include North Carolina-Wilmington, a city mainly affected by Hurricane Florence.
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Photo Credit: Prandip2010 via Flickr
