I guess if you don't like the LPGA rules, don't play or join the LPGA....
When was it decided that the courts would officiate absolutely every human dispute in a futile attempt to make life fair?
That's where we are -- as evidenced by the burgeoning brouhaha over the LPGA's decision to require members to be conversant in English.
Somewhere along the line, the courts have decided that employers can't require English unless it significantly affects safety or efficiency. And some legal experts are saying neither one applies to the Ladies Professional Golf Association, which announced this past week that in 2009 its tour members must be able to speak some English.
Good grief! You would think that the LPGA knows better than some judge whether English is a good thing for the tour.
Explains LPGA Deputy Commissioner Libba Galloway:
"We are not discouraging players from speaking other languages. They can talk to their caddy in whatever language they choose. They can speak to other players on the driving range in whatever language they choose. If they're Brazilian and a reporter asks them a question in Portuguese, by all means, answer it in Portuguese. And we're not demanding that the players be perfectly fluent in English. What we're saying is that the ability to speak to your pro-am partners and to the media, and for the winner to give their victory speech in English, will be one of our tournament regulations."
In other words, the LPGA has decided its players are ambassadors, and need to speak the international language enough to get by.
But someone, somewhere, will try to get the rule declared unconstitutional, or some such nonsense. Can you imagine asking the nation's Founders whether the government should get into the business of regulating sports leagues or otherwise telling employers what the various requirements of their jobs are?
Fact is, the government should take a lesson from the LPGA: It ought to require that government business in this country be conducted in English, and go about making English the official language of the United States. It does no immigrant any good to allow him to stay contained in his native language; to be successful in this country, over the long term, you must learn English. To pretend otherwise is to spread folly and to mislead new citizens.
The LPGA doesn't want language deficiencies to add to a player's handicap, and neither should the country want that for its new citizens.
Comments
I guess if you don't like the LPGA rules, don't play or join the LPGA....
When I die, I want to be reinicarnated as a lesbian. That way I can still enjoy women and get to hit from the red tees.
Perhaps everyone should learn sign language, then no one has to speak.
If you want to save the LPGA then have Americans beat those who cannot speak English. Instead, it looks like they are sayinf Americans cannot compete so please help our corporate sponsers. Next, maybe they'll say being overweight and ugly isn't good for the tour. It appears the LPGA is more concerned with image for a corporate sponser rather than the quality of golf.
If the laws don't suit you, have a liberal judge make some new laws. It's the American way.
The article is right when it implies that English should be the official language of America. Think of the billions of tax dollars that would be saved every year.
Press "1" for English
You should not have to press anything for English. Should be automatic,
I still think private enterprise should be allowed to set reasonable rules for membership. I don't think asking your members to be able to speak English in order to help this club sell itself so that participants can earn bigger prizes is unreasonable. The problem now is that many foreign winners have no following because they give little or no interviews that are even translated. The LPGA cannot survive without an ever increasing fan base. Seems simple to me.
This rule sounds like the old southern literacy test to keep blacks from voting. What is the LPGA going to do have a literacy test of players in front of a panel? This is silly. Playing golf does not require one to be proficient in English. When Americans play on the foreign tours they are not required to speak the language. At the Masters many foreigners play who can't speak English. This is an attempt to keep the foreigners from winning all the tournaments as is happening now on the LPGA.
Damnnnnnn, hypo, I do believe that's the first post I have ever been able to agree with you on.
The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization requires all members speak and write English. When I was a member, there were 19 countries, including the Soviet Union and China.
We are talking about the game of golf. Do you think the Augusta National would even contemplate such a rule? This is asinine.
I have always considered the LPGA almost professonal golf. Seems they can't draw any where near the crowds the PGA or Masters do.
well jack, as we are finding out today, not to many people seem to like professional women. they should stay home and take care of their kids apparently.
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