¿Qué? (LGPA to require players to speak english)

[hc5duke]

-A Michelle Wie calendar.

why don't you have a seat over there...

[SupaDave]

In short, my dad is the most shameless PGA groupie ever, but it did get him a pro-am round with Natalie.

You mean LPGA right? LOL!

I hereby propose that ALL LPGA players only speak Latavian when playing rounds with Natalie!!

[SupaDave]

why don't you have a seat over there...

Natalie's got one!

[billybreen]

why don't you have a seat over there...

Well played, sir. But where were you with that when someone wanted to marry Shawn Johnson a few weeks back?

[SupaDave]

Well played, sir. But where were you with that when someone wanted to marry Shawn Johnson a few weeks back?

Wie is 18! LOL! Shawn Johnson she is NOT!

[hc5duke]

Well played, sir. But where were you with that when someone wanted to marry Shawn Johnson a few weeks back?

Ooh, I didn't realize Wie had turned 18. I'd like to retract my Chris Hansen. As for Shawn Johnson, she's 20 according to her Chinese passport.

[SupaDave]

Ooh, I didn't realize Wie had turned 18. I'd like to retract my Chris Hansen. As for Shawn Johnson, she's 20 according to her Chinese passport.

And on her way to 19 in just a few months. Not to put too much of her personal business out there but she's also a college student (something Playboy has NEVER had a problem exploiting) and dating a recently drafted Lopez twin.

She's definitely a big girl... Probably more mature than the average 30 year old.

[billybreen]

Ooh, I didn't realize Wie had turned 18. I'd like to retract my Chris Hansen. As for Shawn Johnson, she's 20 according to her Chinese passport.

Dude, you're hitting it out of the park today. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

[hc5duke]

Dude, you're hitting it out of the park today. I'd like to subscribe to your newsletter.

thanks... sure beats working

[DukieInKansas]

A few points:

1. Per the IRS Charity listing, the LPGA is not a not-for-profit entity. The LPGA Foundation is one.

2. I believe the LPGA is also making tutors and ESL classes available for the non-English speaking golfers. It isn't like they are saying you have to speak English tomorrow or you're out of the LPGA.

3. I believe the ability to interact with sponsors is the driving force behind this issue.

Off-topic: I have never been a Kobe fan, but his participation in the Olympics has changed that for me. I learned that he speaks 5 languages, he was supportive of other American athletes, and he was excited about playing for the USA and winning the gold. (The last two are true of the other players also - I just don't know about their language skills.) This is an example of how player interaction with fans/sponsors/media can make a difference in attitudes.

[Channing]

It's no secret the LPGA isn't among the most popular of spectator sports. Thus, I would guess that people who go to LPGA tournaments and watch them on tv are among the truest of golf fans.

I can only speak anecdotally. I have been to one LPGA tour event - that was the Chic-Fil-A when it was played south of Atlanta. A large number of the attendees were families with younger children who thought it was fantastic to be able to talk to and see professional athletes up close and personal.

As for the LPGA being tax exempt - I figured since several of the professional organizations are (i.e. NFL - I believe), they might be as well. I do not think nor do I believe this warrants legal action. I was just wondering if there could be legal action.

[A-Tex Devil]

While I understand the initial backlash to this whole thing, I think once you sit back and understand the reasons behind the English speaking requirement, it actually does make some sense...

A former LPGA commissioner/chairman lives in Austin (I think his name is Jim Ritz), and was on the local morning show here a couple of days ago. He said the major reason for this is the ability to maintain and potentially grow fan base with the first one the most important with Annika retiring, etc.

To paraphrase this guy, one major reason for the new rule is keeping the money flowing into the leage -- when an LPGA event rolls into town, they have a charity pro am, fan events, etc. just like the PGA. People pony up big money to play in the pro ams and most of that money goes to local charities. Sponsors who give the players and the LPAGA money attend these and other events as well. How frustrating would it be for you as someone that paid good money to play with a professional golfer at a pro am to get paired with someone that doesn't speak any English? It's not xenophobia, it's hoping to get what one paid for -- a fun day of golf chatting up a professional. This has become a real problem at the pro ams which is very important to the continued success and future of the LPGA (according to this former commissioner of the LPGA).

Then at the end of the interview, he threw in this nugget -- there are 11 board members on the LPGA board and 6 of them are players. The players control the board, so it was the players that ultimately made this decision. Not sure this changes anyone's opinion on the situation, but thought it was interesting.

[rasputin]

I can only speak anecdotally. I have been to one LPGA tour event - that was the Chic-Fil-A when it was played south of Atlanta. A large number of the attendees were families with younger children who thought it was fantastic to be able to talk to and see professional athletes up close and personal.

As for the LPGA being tax exempt - I figured since several of the professional organizations are (i.e. NFL - I believe), they might be as well. I do not think nor do I believe this warrants legal action. I was just wondering if there could be legal action.

I've been to a number of LPGA events, although not recently (the St. Louis tournament no longer exists), and I think the number of foreign players (especially Korean) has gone up a lot since then. At least when I was going to these events, the LPGA players were much, much more engaging with the fans than their PGA counterparts ever are. And I'm talking about during the tourney, not during practice rounds or pro-ams.

[Dr. Rosenrosen]

I guess I don't understand why the LPGA had to do this publicly, create a stir and even open themselves (and frankly the US) to ridicule. It could have been handled quietly and with far great aplomb. It's just a stupid way of doing things. And as a number of writers have argued, the LPGA's problems aren't just about a language barrier. The tour has been struggling for some time... in fact, far longer than language has been an "issue."

[Bluedog]

California Lawmaker questions LPGA Language policy

The LPGA policy is “an absolute slap in the face of women, minorities, immigrants,” [CA State Senator] Yee said.
...
“I can only conclude this is borderline racist,” said Lieu, a Southern California Democrat who is chairman of the state’s 10-member Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. “It’d be like France requiring Lance Armstrong to pass a French test.”

[DukieInKansas]

Not that it really makes a difference in the LPGA debate, but Lance Armstrong did learn French so that he could do interviews. Although he wasn't required to do so, he knew that it was a good idea because he was focusing his racing season on winning le Tour de France.

[pfrduke]

Not that it really makes a difference in the LPGA debate, but Lance Armstrong did learn French so that he could do interviews. Although he wasn't required to do so, he knew that it was a good idea because he was focusing his racing season on winning le Tour de France.

And I commend him for it. Just like I commend any foreign athlete who makes the effort to learn English when they compete largely in the US. But I would have just as much of a problem with the Tour forcing its athletes to learn French as I do with the LPGA insisting that its athletes speak in English.

[DukieInKansas]

And I commend him for it. Just like I commend any foreign athlete who makes the effort to learn English when they compete largely in the US. But I would have just as much of a problem with the Tour forcing its athletes to learn French as I do with the LPGA insisting that its athletes speak in English.

Hence my preface "not that it makes a difference in the LPGA debate". He basically learned it so that he could make the citizens of the country where he was "earning" most of his money more accepting of him. It seems that this is what the LPGA is hoping for but they are being too heavy handed in how they are going about it.

For what it is worth, most Koreans that I know/have known actually speak better English than they think they do. They tend to be shy about using it as they don't want to make a mistake. Giving them opportunities to practice conversational English is a good idea.

[killerleft]

When maybe a third of the field doesn't speak English, I call that a major problem. Pro golfers, with the possible exception of NASCAR drivers, are expected to interact with sponsors more than any other sports figures, to my knowledge.

And LPGA fans certainly appreciate the familiarity they have with LPGA players. As noted by a previous poster, players are just more friendly than the PGA Tour guys.

Surely the LPGA looked at this for several years before making a decision that they KNEW would cause controversy. I have no evidence to suggest this, but I expect that they tried a less hardline approach with the Koreans (and other foreigners) to avoid this radical step.

I, for one, do not see the racism or arrogance that others are quick to fling like a spear at the LPGA.

It could be that the LPGA's very existence depends on having players who can communicate with the fans, sponsors, and media. In other words, don't kill the geese providing the golden eggs.

[Bluedog]

http://www.golf.com/golf/tours_news/...839072,00.html

"Under increasing criticism, the LPGA Tour on Friday backed off a proposed policy that would have suspended players who could not efficiently speak English.

LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said she would announce a revised plan by the end of the year, although it would not include penalties."