The LPGA announced that they are rescinding a proposal that required English proficiency for all players. It seems that protests, explorations of legislation and planned lawsuits citing discrimination caused them to reconsider. What I don't understand is why they even bothered with making this proposal in the first place.
The LPGA is composed of many international players. It's true that many Western players do speak English fluently. But there are some who do not. Why would an organization that is trying to have an international appeal propose a measure that would alienate a significant portion of the world's population? The answer is simple: customer relations.
There have been rumblings from sponsor VIP's that some players (specifically South Korean players) are not as fun to play a round of golf with because they can't communicate. So the LPGA's solution to this problem is to make players speak English or be penalized.
In tennis, half of the top ten men and women come from non-English speaking nations. Yet you don't see their organizations proposing this kind of thing. You certainly don't see it from the PGA. Imagine the chaos and outrage if the IOC insisted that all athletes be fluent in French!
Is schmoozing with sponsor VIP's so important that they are willing to ruin their standing as an international organization? The LPGA has severely sliced this shot out of bounds. They've got a lot work ahead to get back on the fairway and set things right.
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