NFL takes a stand for LGBT rights

by Austin Stallings
Journalism Intern

ATLANTA – The NFL has taken a stand for LGBT rights. After a series of ‘religious liberty’ bills passed through the Georgia house of representatives, the NFL passively threatened to take them out of the list of contenders to potentially host the Super Bowl in 2019.

"NFL policies emphasize tolerance and inclusiveness, and prohibit discrimination based on age, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other improper standard," the league said in a statement to The Atlanta Journal Constitution. "Whether the laws and regulations of a state and local community are consistent with these policies would be one of many factors NFL owners may use to evaluate potential Super Bowl host sites."

Atlanta is currently on the short list to host the Super Bowl in 2019, in a brand new stadium sponsored by Mercedes - Benz.

This is yet another example of how this legislation hurts the state’s economy more than helping Christian business owners. Historically, Super Bowl week has been very lucrative to host cities in the past, bringing in tourists from all over the world.

CNBC reported, "'Super Bowl Week' brings in a significant amount of foot traffic as well. Downtown events in both Phoenix and Scottsdale brought in more than 1.5 million visitors from around the country, according to ASU data. According to some business owners, there's an undeniable trickle-down effect from all the activity.”

The religious liberties legislation is pending approval from Governor Nathan Deal.

The Gayly - 03/21/2016 @ 3:54 p.m. CST