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On the eve of the NCAA's Final Four, Indiana鈥檚 Republican lawmakers made moves Thursday morning to clean up the mess caused by passage of the state鈥檚 Religious Freedom Restoration Act last week, announcing plans to add language clarifying that the law doesn鈥檛 give businesses license to refuse service to members of the LGBT community.聽

Indiana鈥檚 business interests, which were quick to denounce and distance themselves from the original law, gave the changes their . But so were officials, organizers, and leagues who have helped bring some of the biggest spectacles in US sports to the Hoosier state in recent years.聽

In particular, the intense backlash to the original law promised to cast a cloud over the NCAA Final Four games being played this weekend in Indianapolis. Protesters, including gay athletes like retired NBA player Jason Collins, planned to rally at Lucas Oil Stadium during match ups between the Kentucky Wildcats and Wisconsin Badgers, and the Michigan State Spartans and Duke Blue Devils. The Indianapolis-based NCAA said it was 鈥渆specially concerned鈥� by the legislation and faced calls to move the games out of the state.聽 Head Coach Kevin Ollie and the coaching staff from last year鈥檚 national champion UConn Huskies canceled their trip to the Final Four ceremonies after Connecticut banned state business travel to Indiana.

鈥淲e are very pleased the Indiana legislature is taking action to amend Senate Bill 101 so that it is clear individuals cannot be discriminated against,鈥� the NCAA said in a statement released Thursday. 鈥淣CAA core values call for an environment that is inclusive and non-discriminatory for our student-athletes, membership, fans, staff and their families. We look forward to the amended bill being passed quickly and signed into law expeditiously by the governor."聽

Indianapolis has made a name for itself recently as a place with a knack for pulling off major events. The city has hosted the NCAA Men鈥檚 Final Four seven times, and the Women鈥檚 Final Four twice. The 2012 Super Bowl at Lucas Oil Stadium was widely considered a , building on a longer tradition of in-state basketball and the Indianapolis 500.

Losing out on such events means a short-term loss of millions, depending on who you ask. In 2014, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed an bill similar to Indiana鈥檚 RFRA amid that the NFL would consider relocating the 2015 Super Bowl scheduled in Glendale if it were signed. Some estimated that it would mean to Arizona鈥檚 economy (probably less).听

But the after-effects could be even worse, says Victor Matheson, a professor of economics and sports at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass. 鈥淪ports has a much bigger social impact than the dollar values associated with it,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he money isn鈥檛 much, but it leading to a canceled convention [from businesses or trade shows] is a much bigger hit.鈥�

Indeed, Indianapolis has played host to a number of profitable conventions, including Gen-Con, one of the biggest video gaming conventions in the world. That event has called Indianapolis home since 2003 but threatened to relocate in the wake of the RFRA law鈥檚 enactment, taking an estimated $50 million in economic impact with it, according to the convention's organizers.

But beyond the money factor, Mr. Matheson says, sports have the power to affect public discourse in a way that no company or politician can, because it puts more recognizable faces at the center of issues.

鈥淲hen the governor of Connecticut says no state employees are going to Indiana, that鈥檚 not much of an impact,鈥� he says 鈥淏ut when it鈥檚 Kevin Ollie, that put鈥檚 a real face on it.鈥澛�

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen sports flex their muscle before,鈥� he continues, pointing out that the international boycott of South Africa during apartheid really gained steam when sports figures, like tennis players and FIFA and the Olympics, pulled out of events in the country. 鈥淭hat really made [South Africa] a pariah, even though the dollar value wasn鈥檛 [on par with] boycotts from Coca-Cola or Dow Chemical.鈥澛�

Additionally, the reaction of the sports world is a good barometer for where the rest of the country stands on a particular issue, and support for gay rights has rapidly become the norm, even among conservatives. 鈥淢uch like the corporate world, the sports world is a force for the status quo 鈥� and on these issues, the status quo has been liberalizing rapidly. And, much like corporations, sports teams and organizations have real power, responsive to the sometimes vocal constituencies of their players,鈥� Will Leitch wrote for聽听罢耻别蝉诲补测.听

By responding to the overwhelming call to change its law, Indiana may have rescued its status as a sporting event stronghold, and preserved its shot at eventually hosting another well-received Super Bowl.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 a significant day,鈥� Allison Melangton, who led the city鈥檚 2012 Super Bowl host committee, said at a press conference after Indiana lawmakers announced the changes to the bill. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to show us in our true light.鈥�