as those who settled for a push must be feeling | Forum

RALEIGH, N. Miles Bridges Jersey .C. -- The NBA All-Star Games exit from North Carolina because of a law limiting protections for LGBT people represents some of the worst publicity yet for Republican Gov. Pat McCrorys re-election campaign, even as he dismisses the move as political correctness gone too far.The 2017 events departure from Charlotte deprives the state of an estimated $100 million economic impact and comes after the law prompted PayPal and Deutsche Bank to cancel plans to add hundreds of jobs. The law known best for its restrictions on transgender bathroom access looms large in an election season that includes one of the nations most closely watched governors races.On Friday, McCrory told Charlotte radio station WFAE that the NBAs decision was total P.C. B.S.Its an insult to our city. Its an insult to our state. And I think it sets a dangerous precedent of the corporate sports and entertainment elite basically asking for a quid pro quo on legislation or else theyll deny their service, he said.Shortly after the NBAs announcement Thursday night, the governor who promotes himself as pro-business issued a statement lashing out at the sports and entertainment industries, the liberal media and his opponent in the fall race, the states Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper.Cooper has refused to defend the law in court, while McCrory filed a federal lawsuit seeking to uphold it.The law enacted in March requires transgender people to use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates in many public buildings. It also excludes sexual orientation and gender identity from statewide antidiscrimination protections.Republicans including McCrory are likely to maintain their rhetoric surrounding the law known as HB2, banking on conservative voters in rural areas who support the law, said Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College.If you are seen as compromising or trying to find some way out of this, you will simply get hammered by your core base supporters, he said.Still, Bitzer said that if more events pull out of the state, it will be hard for voters to ignore the laws impact. The NCAA, which has 2017 basketball tournament games scheduled in Greensboro, issued a policy shortly after the North Carolina law passed requiring host sites to demonstrate that they are free of discrimination.When it comes to these kinds of events, maybe future NCAA basketball tournaments, I just have to wonder when that breaking point is over ones partisanship, Bitzer said.Local tourism officials estimated that the NBA All-Star Games economic impact would likely have ranked second in Charlottes history behind the $164 million brought in by the 2012 Democratic National Convention. The annual exhibition basketball game showcasing the leagues stars draws visitors from around the country and is held in a different city each year.Its definitely going to hit us pretty hard, said Morgan Conroy, marketing director for The Bottle Cap Group, which owns several bars and restaurants in Charlotte.Cancellations of special events booked at the groups Slate Billiards and Oak Room for the week of the All-Star Game are expected to deprive the company of an estimated $300,000 in sales, Conroy said. Conroy compared that amount to the $20,000 to $100,000 in sales at the companys venues on the day of a home NFL game.Around the state, entertainers including Bruce Springsteen have canceled concerts to protest the law, while 68 businesses signed an amicus brief urging a federal judge to block the provision on bathroom access.Lawyers for the companies -- including General Electric Co., Microsoft Corp. and United Airlines Inc. -- wrote that the law is already damaging their ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce and is imposing a substantial disincentive to investment and commerce in the State, directly impacting their bottom line.Coopers campaign was quick to criticize McCrory over the NBAs move, issuing a statement saying: While the economic consequences of HB2 grow, Governor McCrory continues to pass the blame onto others while refusing to take any action to stop the bleeding.State Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat whose district includes part of Charlotte, put the blame for the NBAs move squarely on McCrory, saying the governor is so closely tied to the issue.There is a very good chance the All-Star Game just cost him the election, he said.However, Republican strategist Dee Stewart said polling data suggests McCrorys position on the LGBT law wont hurt him because other issues are more important to voters.With so many issues on voters minds today like national security, our economic recovery and the need to take care of our vets ... I dont believe that HB2 will sway many votes either way, said Stewart, who is not involved with McCrorys campaign.---Follow Jonathan Drew on Twitter at https://twitter.com/jonldrew Cheap Swingman Hornets Jerseys . The Browns coaching search remains incomplete. Devonte Graham Jersey .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. http://www.cheaphornetsjerseys.com/ . -- Anaheim Ducks defenceman Luca Sbisa will be out at least six weeks with a torn tendon in his right hand. Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.SaturdayTexas Longhorns at Texas Tech Red RaidersClosing line: Over/under 86Our historical data goes back to the 1970s, and this was the highest over/under weve ever seen in a Texas game. Even with the total so high, 72 percent of the action was on the over; after all, the previous game played in Lubbock ended up breaking all kinds of records in a 66-59 Oklahoma win over Texas Tech.The teams started their scoring early, combining for 30 points in the first quarter. It slowed down a little in the second quarter, but with Texas leading 24-23 at halftime, it was still on pace to go over. The touchdowns didnt stop coming in the second half, and with 10:50 left, Texas led 45-37. One more touchdown and this historic total would go over. But then the unthinkable happened -- three straight possessions ending in punts. That was followed by each team turning it over on downs, and all of a sudden it came down to one last Texas Tech drive. The Red Raiders drove it down to the Texas 20-yard line but Patrick Mahomes II was picked off by Kris Boyd with nine seconds left. If you took the over, it must be hard to fathom how a game that had 82 combined points ended with a 10:50 scoring drought.Final score: Texas 45, Texas Tech 37 (Game goes under)Oregon State Beavers at Stanford CardinalClosing line: Stanford -16.5; Over/under: 42.5Both the spread and over/under ended up coming down to one Stanford drive. You could also say it came down to one play.With a little over two minutes left in the game, Stanford led 26-15 and faced a fourth-and-goal from the Oregon State 1-yard line. Instead of kicking the field goal -- which would have sent the total over -- David Shaw elected to go for it. A touchdown would have won it for the bettors on the over, as well as those who were on Stanford -16.5.To no ones surprise, Stanford gave the ball to its star Christian McCaffrey (who was a yard away from 200 rush yards for the game), but he was stopped at the goal line and Oregon State took over. The Beavers eventually turned it over on downs, and the game ended with the under and Oregon State +16.5 as the right sides.Final score: Stanford 26, Oregon State 15 (Oregon State covers & game goes under)FIU Golden Panthers at Western Kentucky HilltoppersClosing line: Western Kentucky -34.5Despite the big spread, Western Kentucky was one of the more popular plays on Saturday. The Hilltoppers appeared to be rewarding those bettors, as they led 49-7 with less than 10 minutes left.In a span of just over a minute, it all fell apart for Western Kentucky --- or at least for those who bet them. Wholesale Hornets Jerseys. FIU found the end zone with 9:29 left, then proceeded to recover a fumble on the very next play from scrimmage. Two plays later, the Golden Panthers scored again, and were now covering the 34.5-point spread. Both FIU touchdowns came from the arm of its freshman backup quarterback, Christian Alexander. Needing a touchdown to cover, the Hilltoppers drove down to the FIU 26-yard line on their next possession, but turned it over on downs. It was certainly a fourth quarter to forget for those unlucky bettors on Western Kentucky.Final score: Western Kentucky 49, FIU 21 (FIU covers)Tulane Green Wave at UCF KnightsClosing line: UCF -16.5If you just looked at the final score, it would appear UCF easily won and covered the 16.5-point spread. But the 51 percent of bettors who took Tulane are still wondering how the Green Wave gave this one away.Tulane trailed 7-6 at halftime, with an Andrew DiRocco missed extra point being the difference in the game. That single first-half mistake foreshadowed many more that followed in the second half for the Green Wave on Saturday. They allowed UCF to score three defensive touchdowns. Three! Tulane had the ball for nearly 40 minutes of game time, and outgained the Knights by over 50 yards, but in what seemed to be a competitive game, the final seven possessions for the Green Wave told the story: lost fumble, lost fumble (returned for a TD), interception (returned for a TD), turnover on downs after reaching the UCF 27-yard line, interception (returned for a TD), interception, end of game.Final score: UCF 37, Tulane 6 (UCF covers)SundayCarolina Panthers at Los Angeles RamsClosing line: Panthers -3Over two-thirds of the action was on the Panthers, who closed as a field goal favorite on the road. On the second possession of the game, Cam Newton and Greg Olsen hooked up for a 9-yard touchdown to go up 7-0.In what was a defensive struggle throughout, Carolina maintained that lead and went up 13-3 with 3:18 left in the game. Those who bet the Panthers needed them to do what they had done on the Rams first 10 offensive possessions -- keep them out of the end zone. But alas, Carolina couldnt get a stop, allowing Los Angeles to go 75 yards in 15 plays capped off by a Case Keenum-to-Kenny Britt 10-yard touchdown on fourth-and-goal with 34 seconds left.If you bet the Panthers, you were surely asking Why didnt the Rams just kick the field goal? They needed two scores anyway! That doesnt matter now, though, as those who settled for a push must be feeling like they lost.Final score: Panthers 13, Rams 10 (Game ends in push) Wholesale Jerseys 2018Cheap Jerseys ChinaWholesale NFL White JerseysCheap Authentic JerseysDisocunt Football JerseysCheap Jerseys 2019Wholesale Jerseys 2019 ' ' '