couching not-so-subtle racism in not-so-convincing rhetoric

this week, the LPGA announced that it will require its members to learn and speak english. and if they don't, they could face a suspension.

oh, of course, the LPGA had an explanation. as espn.com's bob harig details, LPGA tournaments are often dependent on local nonprofit organizations for their infrastructures, and much of the funding comes from the pre-tournament pro-am, which exposes young, emerging players to the professionals already on the tour. when the pros can't speak english, this makes this relationship awkward.

bullllllllllllllllllllshit.

i don't deny that the LPGA needs to cater to its business interests and to the sponsors that support it. but when's the last time you heard seattle mariners investors complaining because ichiro doesn't speak great english? can you imagine bud selig suspending all the players in the majors that can't sit for postgame interviews without an interpreter?

amateurs and fans learn to deal with the language barriers they encounter in the world of sports; that's part of the difficulty (and the beauty) of an international game. there is no doubt that the LPGA is an american organization and can certainly show a preference for english. and, in fact, they probably even have the right to require that english be spoken (although some lawyers may have something to say about that). but that doesn't mean that it should do this. rather than play up its international flavor (cf. nba and yao ming or mlb's bilingual "i live for this" campaign), the LPGA is taking the prejudiced route and squashing it.

when it comes down to it, the LPGA has been around for 50 years, and despite featuring over a hundred international players - many of whom struggle with english - it hasn't lost all its sponsors and accompanying dough. so why go out of its way now to make the 45 south koreans and their foreign peers feel unwelcome and unwanted?

melting pot? more like a solid (golf) stick up the ass.