North Carolina lawmakers propose bill mandating schools play each other in basketball, football

Lawmakers in North Carolina have introduced a bill that would compel institutions in the state like North Carolina and NC State, among others, to face each other routinely in football and basketball.

The bill, sponsored by state representative David Willis of the North Carolina House District 68, outlines the parameters of the requirements.

Every academic year, a high-enrollment institution (defined as a program with 30,000 or more undergraduate and graduate students) must play at least one home or away game against another high-enrollment institution and “an eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution.”

Every six academic years, a high-enrollment institution must play at least one home and one away game against each eligible constituent institution that is not a high-enrollment institution.

An eligible constituent institution is defined as “a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina that fields a high-level football team,” where a high-level football team denotes an FBS competitor.

The bill introduced by lawmakers underscores that sports tourism is vital to North Carolina’s economy, noting that intrastate collegiate athletics generates millions of dollars in economic impact to the state. Thus the bill is designed to encourage and promote economic development.

In reality, it might make any potential split from the ACC more difficult.

There are multiple lawsuits at play right now related to the league’s Grant of Rights, with both Clemson and Florida State engaged in legal proceedings against the ACC. Both institutions are ostensibly searching for a way to leave the ACC without paying a massive exit fee, as required by the current Grant of Rights agreement.

Whether that Grant of Rights agreement constitutes an anti-competitive practice remains to be seen.

In any case, lawmakers in the state of North Carolina seem to be taking things into their own hands, building some protection in for their local rivalries in the event the league eventually splinters and folds.