The LPGA is Doing What?
By L. Russell Allen - Aug 26th, 2008 at 1:15 pmIf you didn’t know, LPGA stands for Ladies’ Professional Golf Association. It’s professional golf. For ladies. Sort of self-explanatory. Many of the best pros on the LPGA circuit are Korean. I don’t know how that happened, but it did. And some of these Koreans don’t speak conversational English.
That’s fine by me. These women aren’t in the LPGA to work customer service. They’re here to golf and golf well. There are plenty of athletes who are the tip-top of their sport who don’t speak English. Heck, future Hall of Fame baseball player Manny Ramirez was raised in the United States, and his English is still spotty.
But what has worked for other sports won’t cut it in the LPGA. Golfweek.com has reported that the LPGA will force all players to pass an English proficiency test by the end of 2009 or face suspension:
“The bottom line is, we don’t have a job if we don’t entertain,” [Player Executive Committee President Hillary Lunke] said. “In my mind, that’s as big a part of the job as shooting under par.”
No! Your job is to shoot under par! Male golfers aren’t forced to learn English. Why are female golfers “entertainers” while male golfers are considered athletes?
“The LPGA could come out and say they only want 10 Koreans, but they’re not,” [LPGA Golfer Angela Park] said. “A lot of Korean players think they are being targeted, but it’s just because there are so many of them.”
Seon-Hwa Lee, a two-time winner in 2008, thinks everyone “can do a simple interview.” She works with an English tutor in the winter and plans to brush up for the evaluation. Her ability to answer questions without the help of a translator has improved immensely during her short time on tour.
“The economy is bad, and we are losing sponsors,” she said. “Everybody understands.”
I love how it is being suggested that Korean golfers should be pleased that the LPGA isn’t instituting an illegal racial quota. Thanks, LPGA, for being so generous!
As for everyone understanding, no. I don’t understand. What I understand is that this association is forcing women to adapt to a culture they may not want to integrate with when it has nothing to do with their sport. The fact that the LPGA is floundering is no excuse. The National Hockey League is dying and no one is forcing its many European players to learn English or get the hell out. That’s only happening to women and it’s a coincidence.
Hell, LPGA, if your numbers are so bad, why not force the golfers to wear sports bras and miniskirts? Ratings would skyrocket! Sure, it would be at the expense of your soul, but that doesn’t seem to be a concern of yours. And sexy costumes make sense. After all, these women are entertainers, not athletes. Right?
One more reason to not watch/support/play golf. Not to mention that it is boring…
August 26th, 2008 at 1:43 pm