Did politics cost Wolfpack their shot?
As an N.C. State alum and avid fan, I was dismayed and disappointed when the NCAA threw the Wolfpack baseball team out of the College World Series. Then it got political. Politics was the word head coach Elliot Avent used when pressed about his teams COVID vaccinations: If you want to talk baseball, we can talk baseball. If you want to talk politics or stuff like that, you can go talk to my head of sports medicine.  Then the politicians piled on. Former Republican Gov. Pat McCrory, who is running for U.S. Senate, started a petition: The NCAA may have tried to CANCEL the NC State Wolfpack, but we wont let their nonsense continue. Sign our petition to DEMAND the NCAA President be FIRED and that NC State be able to compete for a championship!  The controversy reignited what The News & Observer called a years-long feud between North Carolina Republicans and the NCAA. The NCAA had canceled events in North Carolina after the legislature enacted and McCrory signed the controversial House Bill 2 transgender-bathroom bill. The bill contributed to his narrow loss to Democrat Roy Cooper in 2016.