One day before Georgia state legislators passed the controversial “religious liberty” bill, they united to bring the Super Bowl to Atlanta by granting a $10 million sales tax exemption to fans buying tickets to the game — a tax break NFL officials said was mandatory in securing one of the world’s most lucrative sporting events.
A majority of those same legislators may have dealt Atlanta’s bid for the Super Bowl a hard blow with the passage of a bill that opponents say would memorialize into law discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people.
On Friday, the NFL released a statement to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that said any form of discrimination is inconsistent with its business practices and could affect the awarding of the Super Bowl.