[Brareevor]

but something tells me this will go over like a lead balloon



http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=3553888


The LPGA will require its member golfers to learn and speak English and will suspend their membership if they don't comply, Golfweek reported on its Web site.


According to the report, the new requirement was communicated to the tour's growing South Korean membership in a mandatory meeting at the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., on Aug. 20.



Players were told by LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens that by the end of 2009, all players who have been on the tour for two years must pass an oral evaluation of their English skills or face a membership suspension. A written explanation of the policy was not given to players, according to the report.


"Hopefully what we're talking about is something that will not happen," Libba Galloway, the tour's deputy commissioner, said of the potential for suspensions, according to 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."



Every Korean player who spoke with Golfweek about the meeting came away with the understanding she would lose her tour card if she failed the test rather than face suspension, according to the report. But Korean players who spoke about the policy supported the tour's position, though some, including Se Ri Pak, felt fines would be better than suspensions.


"We agree we should speak some English," Pak said, according to the report. "We play so good overall. When you win, you should give your speech in English."


Betsy Clark, the LPGA's vice president of professional development, said a team of evaluators will assess players on communication skills including conversation, everyday survival phrases and "golfspeak." Players must be able to conduct interviews and give acceptance speeches without the help of a translator, she said, according to the report.


Galloway said the policy takes effect immediately, but that players' English proficiency would not be measured until the end of 2009, according to the report. The LPGA's membership includes 121 international players from 26 countries; 45 are South Koreans.


"This should be a priority in their professional development just the way working on their short game is a priority," Galloway said, according to Golfweek. "We just wanted to be clear about our expectations."



Angela Park, a Korean-American who was born in Brazil and speaks three languages, said it's difficult to "come to a foreign country and be yourself." She also supports the rule and says it's fair, according to the report.


"The LPGA could come out and say they only want 10 Koreans, but they're not," Park said, according to Golfweek. "A lot of Korean players think they are being targeted, but it's just because there are so many of them."


And Seon-Hwa Lee, who said she is working with an English tutor during the offseason and plans to brush up for the evaluation, thinks everyone "can do a simple interview," according to the report. Her ability to answer questions without a translator has improved during her time on the tour.


"The economy is bad, and we are losing sponsors," she said, according to the report. "Everybody understands."

[forumsfavoriteall]

That's stupid.

I hope a great golfer comes along that doesn't know a lick of english.

[mazabotman]

That's stupid.

I hope a great golfer comes along that doesn't know a lick of english.

maybe a lorena ochoa with a personality. that would be a marketing conundrum.

[jackie Obrian]

It makes perfect sense.

Why would a tournament sponsor want to shell out big bucks, and then try to attract big spenders to attend a pro-am or a meet-and-greet with some chick who can't even communicate with them? The LPGA is dying a slow death and this is one of the reasons.

These Korean chicks in particular have no identity and they will never, ever be able to develop one until they can communicate with their potential audience. It is in their best interest.

[shihoodiacarf]

It makes perfect sense.

Why would a tournament sponsor want to shell out big bucks, and then try to attract big spenders to attend a pro-am or a meet-and-greet with some chick who can't even communicate with them? The LPGA is dying a slow death and this is one of the reasons.

These Korean chicks in particular have no identity and they will never, ever be able to develop one until they can communicate with their potential audience. It is in their best interest.

But is it disriminatory in any legal way? I know it's not a great comparison, but I think about Casey Martin.

[gydrorway]

But is it disriminatory in any legal way? I know it's not a great comparison, but I think about Casey Martin.

I thought about that too, but I would guess that they vetted the idea pretty well before they took this step. And they have things in place to help the foreign players improve their communication skills. Casey is disabled and can't do anything about that.

[XIMHOTEP-X]

But is it disriminatory in any legal way? I know it's not a great comparison, but I think about Casey Martin.

freedom of speech*



*as long as it's english

[GinaGomesz]

That's stupid.

I hope a great golfer comes along that doesn't know a lick of english.

The LPGA is played in this gold old US of A. The rules officials speak english as a general rule. How can there be a rules discussion or determination with a player who doesn't understand what the hell you're saying? I don't think the LPGA should have to hire an interpreter for every rules official.

[padlabtard]

But is it disriminatory in any legal way? I know it's not a great comparison, but I think about Casey Martin.

No one has to have a job as a golfer. If the minimum standards for being a golfer aren't met, go find another profession.

[Talicoabilk]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in years. Did they require Lance Armstrong to speak French? Is Tiger Woods asked to learn Arabic? Or how about he IBM contractor sent to Nepal? This is a borderline racist move in my opinion. The LPGA is obviously in trouble and this is a desperate move. So of course their reaction to to pull a complete PR disaster. The LPGA is hurting for one reason: The Play Sucks.

Wanting to give the LPGA some love I headed out to watch one of their events, a major no less. I was absolutely stunned at how poor the play was. I saw fat wedges fall into traps regularly but what really stood out was the lack of a short game, which made no sense to me. They can not putt, period.

So they are now putting in a rule that could potentially throw some of the top players off a tour starving for talent.

Brilliant.

[nAKMzyBN]

But is it disriminatory in any legal way? I know it's not a great comparison, but I think about Casey Martin.

I don't think it is discrimatory at all. All employers/unions can require minimum qualifications. It wouldn't be discriminatory if someone refused to hire me because I didn't speak English.

In a field of employment where sponsorships rule the day, the ability to communicate with them on a one-on-one basis most certainly could be required. As long as they have that ability.

If a deaf person was excluded because they couldn't speak English, that would be a different story.

[mp3 free]

This may be the worst idea I've heard in years. Did they require Lance Armstrong to speak French? Is Tiger Woods asked to learn Arabic? Or how about he IBM contractor sent to Nepal? This is a borderline racist move in my opinion. The LPGA is obviously in trouble and this is a desperate move. So of course their reaction to to pull a complete PR disaster. The LPGA is hurting for one reason: The Play Sucks.

Wanting to give the LPGA some love I headed out to watch one of their events, a major no less. I was absolutely stunned at how poor the play was. I saw fat wedges fall into traps regularly but what really stood out was the lack of a short game, which made no sense to me. They can not putt, period.

So they are now putting in a rule that could potentially throw some of the top players off a tour starving for talent.

Brilliant.

Lance Armstrong wasn't employed/unionized by the Tour de France -- he was competitor with sponsors who paid him.

As for Tiger and the faceless IBM guy -- well, the difference there is that they are being recruited for a tournament or a job, which is the exact opposite of what the LPGA is trying to do -- recruit sponsors.

These ladies play predominantly within the United States and part of their employment is connecting enough with viewers that sponsors ante up to pay for tournaments.

As for the play sucking, I'm not sure what you are watching because when I went earlier this summer, I watched everyone shooting in the low 70's and even some in the 60's. I don't care what kind of course you are playing -- those are hella good scores.

Sure -- there were plenty that shot in the high 70's and some in the 80's that didn't make the cut, but you are going to see that on the men's tour as well every week.

[CenICrerflind]

These ladies play predominantly within the United States and part of their employment is connecting enough with viewers that sponsors ante up to pay for tournaments.

Their job is to play golf, not schmooze Citibank. When I watch an event I am there to watch the shots, period. I don't give a rat's ass if the leader speaks English well or not, I just want to see her compete. Sports to me is the great equalizer, your play determines your fate. These women have proven to be good enough to make it on the LPGA tour, that should be enough IMO.

As for the level of play, I'm simply comparing it with the men's tournaments I have been to. And there was a huge difference. You never would see a man leave a 120 yard wedge in a bunker. And again the short game was a real shocker.

[Allbrunette]

So nobody wants to continue the debate? That's too bad, it's an interesting subject. If everyone's afraid that I'll go off again that won't happen, I promise. I don't hold my tongue when I've got something to say but I don't think I've ever been nasty about it.

[halfstreet]

Their job is to play golf, not schmooze Citibank. When I watch an event I am there to watch the shots, period. I don't give a rat's ass if the leader speaks English well or not, I just want to see her compete. Sports to me is the great equalizer, your play determines your fate. These women have proven to be good enough to make it on the LPGA tour, that should be enough IMO.

As for the level of play, I'm simply comparing it with the men's tournaments I have been to. And there was a huge difference. You never would see a man leave a 120 yard wedge in a bunker. And again the short game was a real shocker.

If people don't connect with the player (and it is unlikely they'll connect with the 1/3 of players that don't speak English -- considering they play the majority of their tourneys here in English-speaking territory), then they have no viewers. If they have no viewers, they have no sponsors. If they have no sponsors, the LPGA can't afford to put on tournaments. If there are no tournaments, the players don't get paid.

Seems pretty straight forward to me.

If it was 5% of the players, no biggie. But when this high a percentage of players aren't even attempting to to make those connections, it is a problem.

As for your shock at the level of play, I'm a little stunned that you expect the overall quality of play between the men and women to be equal. Name a sport where the men's and women's games are equal or even remotely close. If you lined up the top male players and the top women's players in any given sport, I'd be stunned if the women came close to the men in even one event.

Considering women frequently end up quitting entirely or getting out of the sport for a period of time to have families, there certainly is no wonder why the gap never seems to close. I've had this conversation in relation to major sports before. Can you imagine watching the NFL and one of your key players is out for the season because of pregnancy? In the past year you had Lisa Leslie, one of the best WNBA players, miss an entire season due to pregnancy and maternity leave, Annika Sorenstam announce her retirement to start a family and Misti May and Kerri Walsh, maybe the two best women's volleyball players, announce that they'd be taking an extended break to have kids. Therefore you end up with inferior competitors and younger competitors in women's sports.

Sports may be the great equalizer, but not in relation between men and women.

[bxxasxxa]

So nobody wants to continue the debate? That's too bad, it's an interesting subject. If everyone's afraid that I'll go off again that won't happen, I promise. I don't hold my tongue when I've got something to say but I don't think I've ever been nasty about it.

I always love a good debate. I had just forgotten about this thread.

[golfmenorca]

As for your shock at the level of play, I'm a little stunned that you expect the overall quality of play between the men and women to be equal. Name a sport where the men's and women's games are equal or even remotely close. If you lined up the top male players and the top women's players in any given sport, I'd be stunned if the women came close to the men in even one event.

diving

[shihoodiacarf]

diving

I'm no diving expert, but to me it seemed the mens dives tended to be more difficult than the women's.

Having them line up and do the same dive? Probably pretty equal. But allowing them to do whatever dives they want? That would seem to favor the men.

Maybe I'm wrong though and it is just perception that the men's were more difficult.

[Thigmaswams]

I'm no diving expert, but to me it seemed the mens dives tended to be more difficult than the women's.

Having them line up and do the same dive? Probably pretty equal. But allowing them to do whatever dives they want? That would seem to favor the men.

Maybe I'm wrong though and it is just perception that the men's were more difficult.

i guess i didn't watch any olympic diving, i'm just thinking that women, being lighter, could tuck and spin just as well as men.

[wmirkru]

i guess i didn't watch any olympic diving, i'm just thinking that women, being lighter, could tuck and spin just as well as men.

Could be the case. But I don't know enough about diving to say either way.

In the event you are right, we now have one sport where it is close.