Myrtle Beach bows to threat of flag boycott

Myrtle Beach will not apply to host the 2012 Olympic Trials for Beach Volleyball for fear an NAACP boycott on South Carolina will hurt its chances at attracting the event, a decision that has left future sports tourism in question.

Brad Dean, president and chief executive of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce, sent a letter to Grand Strand political leaders stating that the organization would not apply for the trials because of concerns raised by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The NAACP boycotted S.C. tourism about a decade ago because of the Confederate flag that flies on the grounds of the Statehouse.

An event such as the Olympic trials would have benefited local businesses by bringing spectators and attracting national media attention, Dean said.

There's little doubt that "Myrtle Beach is taking the blood over all the issues with the boycott," said Mickey James, president of the Myrtle Beach branch of the NAACP.

The NAACP's goal is to make an impact on the economy to pressure legislators to move the flag, James said. That damage is worth it to correct the injustice of the flag being flown and improve the community, he said.

State NAACP officials could not be reached at press time.

The boycott does not indicate which future sports tourism events will be ruled out, as the NAACP has not laid out specific guidelines for when it will raise concerns, Dean said. It is clear that the NAACP will selectively implement the boycott, he said.

James said that the NAACP treats all events the same by sending them a letter asking them not to come to the state.

A handful of championships have come to South Carolina without incident. For example, USA Triathlon, a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee, will hold a championship event in Myrtle Beach in October, but that event has not come under the NAACP's scrutiny.

Myrtle Beach met or exceeded all the criteria for hosting the trials, and volleyball seemed to be a "perfect marriage" for the city, Dean wrote in the letter. Myrtle Beach determined it had "an excellent chance of winning the right to host this event," he wrote. The chamber then contacted the S.C. NAACP President Lonnie Randolph for his thoughts on the event, he wrote.

"While Dr. Randolph appreciates the importance of this event and did not offer any ultimatums, he did affirm that an event of this magnitude may well cause concerns amongst the NAACP and its membership," Dean wrote.

Applying for an event such as the trials requires a lot of time and money, and the chamber does not want to risk later losing the event, Dean said.

He said he did not want a repeat of last year's move by the ACC baseball tournaments. Those events were initially awarded to Myrtle Beach for the years 2011 to 2013 but were withdrawn after the NAACP raised concerns.

The letter regarding the volleyball trials was addressed to Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland and Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes.

"It's huge, it's even bigger than the big blow, which was losing three years of the ACC baseball tournaments; that was a tremendous hit, and this is much worse because it's international attention, not just a regional attention," Gilland said.

Gilland said she'd like to see the flag moved not only for the economy but to remove the offense. That decision is left up to state legislators, she said, but political realities prevent many lawmakers from changing their mind soon.

"There's no more sure way to lose support among your constituency than taking a position on the flag," she said.

The boycott has also influenced the NCAA, which will not award predetermined championships to South Carolina. Championship tournaments that are earned by area teams can still be played in South Carolina, such as the recent NCAA Baseball Super Regional in which Coastal Carolina University competed.

Rhodes said the boycott has a limited impact on Myrtle Beach.

"The impact can be large because of big NCAA events, because not only Myrtle Beach but the entire state is left out, but we're still going to have business from the African-American tourist," he said. "Basically what I'm saying is the boycott is not working except on a small little deal here with NCAA."

The city will still go after sports tourism events to the fullest extent possible, Dean and Rhodes said. They will continue to address the boycott upfront with event organizers interested in Myrtle Beach, Dean said.

"It's no secret to the sports industry that South Carolina is subject to a boycott from the NAACP," he said.