Atlanta Falcon's owner Arthur Blank opposes strongly on the new proposed religious freedom bill. He is afraid that this will undermine the city's bid on hosting the Super Bowl which shows clear discrimination on gays, lesbians and transgender.
The NFL is aware that although the new bill has already passed the House of Representatives, it still needs the signature of Governor Nathan Deal. The city of Atlanta is one of the finalist for the next Super Bowl venue together with cities like New Orleans, Miami and Tampa in the 2019 and 2020 championship games, as per CBS News.
According to WSBTV, Blank strongly believes in diversity. He said the inclusive and welcoming state of Georgia is very critical to their citizens and the millions of visitors that will enjoy the offerings of the state. He added that the House Bill 757 will destroy those principles and will probably have a lasting effect on the state and the people of Georgia as well.
The league spokesman, Brian McCarthy, said NFL policies have been strongly promoting tolerance and inclusiveness regardless of race, gender, age or sexual orientation. The laws and regulations of a state would be considered as one of the factors in evaluating a potential Super Bowl host. As reported by the Washington Post, NFL joins hundreds of businesses in Georgia that looks at the bill as mere discrimination.
The Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks issued a statement, saying allowing these types of discriminating actions will have profound negative effect on their organization. Lawmakers, on the other hand, have already approved the elimination of $10 million state sales taxes on Super Bowl if the state will host the games.
Atlanta has already hosted the NFL during the year 1994 and 2000. However, the following bids of the state has been a failure due to their aging 24-year-old Georgia Dome which was now renovated and is donning a new retractable roof.
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