The LPGA has instituted an "English only" rule.
I suppose it sucks for the Scots... Invent the game but barred from international competition because no one can understand you.
The LPGA has decided that it has a responsibility to its members to further their careers off the course and that growing the game among English speakers is critical to that mission. Perhaps someone should explain that English only speakers make up a VERY small minority of the people on the planet and that, with an average birth rate hovering around 2 children per family, that percentage will be less every year.
More to the point... What could be more offensive than to be told that your language itself makes you unqualified to bang a ball around a big field? You can beat par at Hilton Head but your interviews don't play well on SportsNight. Sorry, you suck. Loser.
A more offensive display of ethnocentrism is hard to imagine.
Assholes.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
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5 comments:
Same treatment as ordering cheese stake.
Ah... But I think it is well established that the owner of Gino's is a bigoted prick.
I agree with you of course and, just as in that notorious case, I am not suggesting that the law should prevent the LAPG from being so idiotic. There is only so much that the law can do. But, we as a society should call one another out on occasion.
Dee-ah Ayl Pay Jay Ay Wimmin,
Armageddon tarred amah rats gi-in stomped awn. anamaly. Them thar uppity wimin dun ruint mah Sahdidy safnoon a gawlfin. Ahm jess a suddenah spikken muriken, but thah ayl pay jay ay wimin mus have haller haids ifn thay-all gonna say ah gotta be speaking Inglish.. Hail, ah aint nevah bin owta jawjuh, lit alone tuh some fern country lak Inglind. Anamaly not lookin fah a faht, but ahma gwana tek mah raffle wi mah foe arn an mah fav arn nix tahm ah go tada gawlfin tuna mint.
Betty-Sue
[Dear Women of the LPGA,
I’m getting tired of my rights getting trampled. Those haughty women have ruined my Saturday afternoon of golfing. I’m just a southerner speaking American, but the LPGA woman must have hollow heads if they are going to tell me I must speak English. Hell, I’ve never been outside Georgia, let alone to some foreign country like England. I’m normally not looking for a fight, but I’m going to take my rifle along with my four iron and my five iron next time I go to the golfing tournament.
Betty-Sue]
Translation of Southron English to Standard English courtesy of Ipsit Dixit
UPDATE:
Today's paper explains that the "real reason" for the policy is that 45 out of 181 players are South Koreans and that the, primarily male, sponsors who mingle with the LPGA members on tour don't like the lack of interaction with the South Koreans.
Apparently, the deferential demeanor, limited English skills, and unwillingness of Korean women to mingle off-course with male representatives of sponsors contrasts sharply with those of the "Western" members who regularly interact with these men on and off course. This is not to imply that sexuality is the primary or even a significant factor (though there seems to be an undertone of this); rather, the South Korean members spend little time with these male representatives, pushing more of the burden of entertaining them onto the English-speaking/Western golfers.
This is more of a back story and its explains why the members themselves haven't rebelled. It does not, however, make me feel greatly better about it. It conjures up a vision of learing, boorish men, stalking female golfers and a corporation encouraging it for financial gain. Perhaps this is unfair, but this is how it feels.
So then, the question is "IF English-only policies change the balance of interaction between the members and the sponsors and IF this leads to greater financial benefits for all members, is the policy justified?"
My instinct is "no" but I would like to hear other opinions.
The LPGA has learned from the PGA that quality competition is not enough in the video age. The personalities of individual athletes—more so than the quality of competitions—drive the really big increases in TV ratings and hence advertising/sponsorship revenues and endorsement deals. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are media-friendly personalities who attract new viewers to their tournaments and who are viewed as attractive pitchmen for products and companies.
If U.S. sponsors perceive women's golf as a sport populated (in large part) by players alien to most American consumers, they will tend to discount the value of their sponsorship of LPGA events. This means smaller purses and fewer and smaller endorsement contracts for LPGA athletes. This, in turn, means that golf will become a less attractive career to the best female athletes, and that the very best of those who do choose golf will attempt to transition to the bigger purses and more lucrative endorsement deals of the PGA, reducing the LPGA to the role of a farm league.
So, it makes sense to promote English fluency among all LPGA players, be they from South Korea or rural “Jawjuh”. That being said, can you think of a more ham-handed approach?
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