I saw something like this coming a couple of years ago.....Golfweek magazine reported on its Web site Monday that speaking English will be a requirement starting in 2009, with players who have been LPGA members for two years facing suspension if they can’t pass an oral evaluation of English skills.
The tour held a mandatory meeting with South Koreans last Wednesday at the Safeway Classic to inform them of the new policy.
“Hopefully, what we’re talking about is something that will not happen,” deputy commissioner Libba Galloway told Golfweek. “If it does, we wouldn’t just say, ’Come back next year.’ What we would do is work with them on where they fell short, provide them the resources they need, the tutoring ... and when we feel like they need to be evaluated again, we would evaluate.”
There are 121 international players from 26 countries on the LPGA Tour, including 45 players from South Korea.
The ACLU or somebody will protest about this but, the LPGA is a private organization who can make it's own rules. When you have sponsors who, in return for funding events and purses, want access to the athletes for commercials and other endorsements, it's only natural that they would be expected to be able to communicate in English, thier love of Diet Coke, Titleist golf balls, or Massengil Douches.
Critics of the policy will say that it's about American-centrism and that it is a thinly veiled effort to get foreigners out of the sport so more popular and commercially appealing Americans can win. But that's not it. I honestly don't think anybody cares who wins each week on the LPGA as long as they are capable of fulfilling their contractual responsibilities to support the sponsors, and that means doing commercials if asked, make personal appearances, and communicating with potential consumers of sponsor goods.
3 comments:
Alas! Leave it to the LPGA to do the right thing. This organization has managed to permanently turn its head towards the lesbian issues that have been prevalent throughout their history, but now it is spot on with its handling of this situation.
The LPGA has, as does every professional tournament, Pro-Am days each week where a touring pro is matched up with 4 local amatuers that have paid big money to play in these events. The locals want to converse with the stars. It is impossible to provide translators, as all can imagine. Secondly, if one looks into the more powerful PGA, this is not an issue. Most, if not all of the PGA tour members have some college training here in the U.S. All foreigners learn English to cope at that level. Even if you follow the European PGA tour, very few players don't at least have a passable English as their 2nd speak. A great many of these South Korean female golfers are strictly here to earn their living and have come at a very young age. Without that formal education/golf training given in colleges, these young ladies are extremely limited in exposure. The tour is not telling them that they cannot play, they are just telling them that in the future, they must be ready and able to be functionally communicable with the press/Am involved. I for one don't think is too much too ask. When I played on the Far East circuit, I had to hire a caddy/interpreter to help me, until I got good enough with the languages to at least minimally communicate. Good for the LPGA>
I realize the LPGA has a reputation for being a magnet for lesbian players as well as fans but, I don't see where that's a problem in terms of sponsorship as long as they don't wear it on their sleeve. Plenty of admitted, suspected, or assumed lesbian professional athletes have successfully endorsed products for sponsors of their sport. Besides, I doubt the LPGA could get away with prohibiting lesbians from competing, private organization or not. I mean what is there that they can do about the "lesbian issue"?
Its hilarious that in a sport where you are supposed to be quiet this is an issue at all.
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