Why Alabama and Kentucky Won't Secede Following Clinton Landslide

Suppose current polls hold up, and Hillary Clinton wins by a near-landslide. Further suppose that after the election, Donald Trump refuses to concede and doubles down on his narrative that the voting booths are rigged, thus making Clinton an illegitimate president-elect.

Would Alabama and Kentucky secede from the nation?

Hold that thought for a moment. 

Alabama has the #1 college football team in the nation—not in Alabama, but the nation. Ditto the Kentucky Wildcats for basketball. 

How long could a secession conversation go on without the NCAA weighing in by stating that it is an association of American universities? If a state secedes, it’s no longer in America; and its state university cannot compete in college athletics.

If you’re still reading, we can agree that this is totally absurd … until we think about the on-going transgender-bathroom controversy in North Carolina. 

Now seriously, a year ago could we imagine that a North Carolina law would bar transgender choice of a bathroom, and as a consequence, the NBA would drop Charlotte for the All-Star game, and the NCAA and the ACC would drop North Carolina venues for championships?

A year ago, I would have rated that in the realm of the absurdly improbable.

A lot of unpredictable events in politics and sports have occurred in a short time. Perhaps we’re on a path where people will need to choose between passion for a college championship and remaining in the United States.