The NCAA and ACC have both sent a strong message to North Carolina, pulling championship games from the state because of HB2, the controversial law that blocks transgender people from using the bathroom of their choice in government buildings, schools and universities. North Carolinas GOP responded in turn with a statement thats as tone-deaf as it is offensive and desperate.This is so absurd its almost comical, North Carolina Republican Party spokeswoman Kami Mueller said in a statement Monday. I genuinely look forward to the NCAA merging all mens and womens teams together as singular, unified, unisex teams. Under the NCAAs logic, colleges should make cheerleaders and football players share bathrooms, showers and hotel rooms. This decision is an assault to female athletes across the nation. If you are unwilling to have womens bathrooms and locker rooms, how do you have a womens team?This is truly the hottest take Ive ever seen on the slippery slope argument long used to deny LGBT rights -- how, exactly, do you get from unisex bathrooms to unisex teams? But thats not even the most cynical part of the North Carolina GOPs response: I wish the NCAA was this concerned about the women who were raped at Baylor, Mueller continued.The NCAA deserves criticism for failing to protect sexual assault victims across the country. Violence against women is rampant on college campuses, particularly in sports, and victims have long been silenced as their athlete attackers continue to thrive under the protective netting of college sports. (The NCAA pointed to the resources it provides student-athletes on preventing sexual assault and violence, and the North Carolina GOP didnt respond to a request for comment).But its extremely problematic to use the sexual assault cases?at Baylor as a singular barometer for moral comparison. First of all, the NCAA is a wide-ranging organization that can and should have the ability to address more than one issue at once. It doesnt need to choose between preventing violence and fighting discrimination.Moreover, playing the Baylor card effectively gives a pass to any lesser offenses. There are plenty of issues that dont reach the level of problems?at Baylor. Just because the system failed in Waco, Texas, doesnt mean we should stop trying to make it work elsewhere.I, and countless other sexual assault survivors, would implore the North Carolina GOP not to co-opt our movement for victims rights in order to deny the rights of transgender citizens, many of whom are victims of violence as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the LGBT community experiences sexual violence at rates higher than heterosexuals. Human Rights Campaign estimates that nearly half of transgender people will experience sexual violence in their lifetime.In addition to ignoring the plight of sexual assault in the transgender community, the North Carolina GOPs statement is blatantly disingenuous, given the partys history of denying legal protections for assault victims. In 2012, North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr was one of 31 Republicans who voted against the Violence Against Women Act. In 2013, seven representatives from North Carolina voted against a watered-down version of the bill: Renee Ellmers, Walter Jones, Virginia Foxx, Richard Hudson, Robert Pittenger, Mark Meadows and George Holding. And to take it a step further, Jones was one of nine Republican congressmen who voted against a resolution to allow the House to consider any version of the bill at all.North Carolina Republicans are invoking sexual assault victims in order to further an agenda of sexual discrimination. For as loud as its statement against the NCAA sounded, the party has been noticeably silent on sexual assault cases involving players in its home state, most recently the allegations against UNC linebacker Allen Artis.Violence against women is not an appropriate political device, especially when the politicians involved have voting records that clearly reflect an utter disregard for the issue and its victims. The sports world is continually struggling to get it right on sexual violence. 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A big centre with all the tools to be an elite player, Johansen paced the Blue Jackets with a standout game Saturday night. He had a goal and two assists for a career-high three points as Columbus beat the New York Islanders 5-2 to snap a five-game losing streak.The NBA season reached something of a calendar milestone on Thursday with Thanksgiving coming and going.Most teams have played about 15 games to this point and statistics and standings are beginning to settle in as identities get formed. The grind of the season will separate teams and the Playoff races begin to take shape.Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the NBA season gets set fully on its course.The Orlando Magic (6-10) know that. At least their veterans do.Forward Jeff Green senses his team needs a little urgency in the final game of a three-game homestand, on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, before taking its first long trip of the season.We have to correct things now, Green said after Wednesdays loss. We can continue to say its still early, but we have to come to a point where we have to fix it now in order for us to be there in the end.We have to go back to the drawing board, but Friday we have to fix it. For me, thats a must win. And we must win Sunday.The Magic did not quite fix things Friday against the Washington Wizards. They came out flat on both ends and fell 94-91 at home, needing a 19-point comeback to make it a game.Perhaps November is not the time to take too much of a focus on the standings. The Magic are only 1.5 games out of the final spot in the Eastern Conference.But offensive struggles have given the Magic plenty of pause and concern for the rest of their season. They are struggling to score even 90 points per game.The games keep coming. And they all count the same when it comes to the year-end Playoff races. And that could makke Sundays game against the Bucks all the more important.dddddddddddd.The Bucks (6-8) are still in the thick of the early Playoff race too. And they have dealt with their own inconsistent play.Milwaukee has started to hit its groove this season. Even coming off a 105-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Friday, the Bucks feel confident about their play and their chances.I thought we had this game today, swingman Giannis Antetokounmpo said. They just made tough shots down the stretch. They made some threes. If we played the game again, they could miss those shots. As a team, we saw a lot of good things.Now we move forward to Orlando. Im not putting pressure on my teammates, but if we go with the same mentality and the same focus we had tonight, we can get that game.Antetokounmpo recorded his first triple double of the season against the Magic on Monday. His play was crucial to the Bucks coming back in that game and racing ahead at the end for the close win.Having defeated the Magic earlier in the week in Milwaukee, Sunday represents an opportunity to score a decisive victory over a team they might compete with in the standings when March and April roll around.The Magic and Bucks have split their season series each of the last three seasons. Both rebuilding teams are trying to find their fit in the early Eastern Conference race. And Sunday represents a chance for one to get the leg up on the other before things begin to get serious. ' ' '