Tennessee could be off the table for future NFL, NCAA and FIFA competitions because of the state’s new transgender sports law.
While the groups haven’t come out officially to say they won’t be choosing Tennessee for future contests like the World Cup or the Super Bowl, they have indicated they are against legislation that bans trans kids from playing sports.
Joe Woolley of the LGBT Chamber says this would not be the first time Tennessee lost business because of similar legislation. He points to the more than 14 conventions that were canceled after the passage of an anti-LGBT adoption law last year.
He says Nashville in particular will suffer the brunt of the economic consequences if state lawmakers pass the legislation.
“Nashville is going to feel it first and it’s going to feel it the hardest,” Woolley says. “Forty percent of the tourism economy is generated here in Nashville, Tennessee.”
More than 130 Tennessee businesses signed on to the 2021 open letter of businesses against discrimination. New signers include BMG, Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Lyft, Ryman Hospitality Properties and more.
Business leaders from Amazon and Dell have also come out against the legislation, but they have declined to say if they would take concrete steps like pulling their business or funding from the state.
“Every notable economist will tell you this, on a bipartisan basis: Diversity, inclusion and acceptance is the future of business,” Woolley says.
