The World of Golf

Why is the sporting world giving so much attention and coverage to the Masters Golf Tournament? I realize that many golfers consider the Masters to be "The Tournament to win", but why give it so much attention?

I'm not a golfer, so it's consfusing to me why such importance would be given to a tournament that takes place at the Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Georgia. This is the same club that refuses to allow women members, and has accepted only one black member in its history, and that was only after being pressured by CBS television.

It's time for these golfers to stand up and say what needs to be said. Damn the tournament, damn the Augusta National Golf Club. Sadly, they will undoubtedly remain silent and say nothing of the racist and sexist practices. Shame on them, and shame on the sporting world.

Comments

I'm no golfer, to be honest, and I couldn't care less what happens to the Masters, but I've also done some thinking on the matter.

On the one hand, there's no really accounting for racial discrimination in itself. But take into consideration, as well, the nature of the sport of golf itself. Golf doesn't look much to the rest of us, but it still is a sport; it requires both physical skill and mental strategy to get that little ball into that little hole, and more so it encourages competition to see who can get the ball into the hole as quickly or as skillfully as possible.

Sadly, however, golf is also about exclusivity and privilege. It's not just race that factors into it, but also gender, physical handicap, and sometimes even religion and marital status. It's nothing like basketball, football, or even tennis (!), where participation from non-players and audience members are encouraged. To get into a golf game, in a sense, you must be a golfer yourself - it's nothing like basketball or baseball, where you can just watch and understand the game without having to play the game itself. For golf to lose its exclusivity, however, is to also lose its lifelong connection to power and privilege.

Again, I'm not saying that it's right or wrong either way, but I can see why no one in the golf community - or the community at large, to be honest - would ever put the matter of discrimination out in the open.

But like I've said, golf is a sport - and if this is how they want their "ultimate championship," well, it's their game.

(Post-script: If you want to get an idea about how some African Americans REALLY feel about golf, I suggest you rent The Chris Rock Show, Vol. 1 - there's a segment there where Chris Rock goes around "tha hood" asking people if they'd really, really want to get into the golf game. All I can say is, the answers will surprise you.)

My wife and I are in the camp that refuses to accept golf as a sport. Even so, if every Masters tournament started off as interestingly as this one did, I just might watch next year.

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