Since the Atlanta Hawks announced they would dedicate a night to the Magic City institution on March 16, there has been a tremendous discussion in the sports world about whether it is the right thing to do. Some people also expressed displeasure with the Hawks defending Magic City Night, leading the league to announce that it had canceled the event.
League commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that "canceling this promotion is the right decision for the broader NBA community."
"When we learned of the Atlanta Hawks' scheduled promotion, we reached out to Hawks leadership to better understand their plans and rationale. While we appreciate the team's perspective and their desire to move forward, we have heard significant concerns from a wide range of league stakeholders, including fans, partners and employees."
Luke Cornett was at the forefront of objecting to the Hawks' Magic City Night
One of the first prominent people to object to the Hawks doing Magic City Night was Luke Kornet of the San Antonio Spurs, saying the team should cancel the event. He would even go so far as to say that it would "reflect poorly on us as an NBA community, especially because of the potential objectification and abuse of women in our society."
"I and others throughout the league were surprised by the Hawks' decision and objected to it. We want to provide an environment where fans of all ages can safely come and enjoy the game of basketball and where we can celebrate the history and culture of communities in good conscience. Celebrating strip clubs is not conduct consistent with that vision," Cornette wrote.
The main reason for the outrage is that the Magic City institution is known as a strip club.
When the Hawks announced it, the event was meant to "celebrate the Magic City, the city's iconic cultural institution" for the impact it has had on Atlanta's culture. As a result, it remains to be seen how the discussion will play out now that the NBA has canceled the event, as the discussion has been polarizing.
