Augusta National says Masters will be without commercials - rather than invite women into club

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | 8/30/02 | Glenn Sheeley

[GeneD]

Augusta National Golf Club is putting its money where its mouth is in its fight with a women's group pressuring the club to admit a female member.

Club chairman Hootie Johnson announced Friday that because corporate sponsors of the Masters' telecast are being pressured by the National Council of Women's Organizations, the 2003 tournament will be shown without sponsors or commercials.

At least golf fans will benefit from the fight. The 2003 telecast would have contained its normal four commerical minutes per hour. With 12 1/2 hours of live programming, that's 50 minutes of commericials that will not take golf fans away from the action.

"Augusta National is NCWO's true target," Johnson said in a statement. "It is therefore unfair to put the Masters media sponsors in the position of having to deal with this pressure. Accordingly, we have told our media sponsors that we will not request their participation for the 2003 Masters."

Rather than put its sponsors in a position where boycotts or their products or services would be threatened, Johnson said the Masters will absorb the advertising fees that would have been paid by IBM, Coca-Cola and Citigroup.

Johnson said, "We are sorry, but not surprised, to see those corporations drawn into this matter, but contunue to insist that our private club should not be 'managed' by an outside group. . . There may come a day when women will be invited to join our club, but that decision must be ours. We also believe that the Masters and the club are different, and that one should not affect the other."

[Long Cut]

"they shouldn't claim they don't have any exclusionary policies..."

Until some actual documentation that they do (and past trends and membership numbers are NOT it) surfaces, either in writing or on tape somewhere, they can.

As I understand it, Augusta National is one of the most difficult clubs in the world to obtain membership in. Bill Gates, for Chrissake, was turned down. This tells me that few people of ANY race or sex become members.

The decent, polite thing to do when one (individual) wishes to join a private club is to request membership, by following said organization's own rules and by-laws. Having a GROUP demand membership for those it represents, completely outside normal channels, and to do so in a very public fashion, is the hight of rudeness and arrogance. This alone is reason enough to deny them what they want. Would YOU want to associate with such whining, collectivist harpies?

[jayadams]

Patricia Ireland formerly lived in my building until her recent move to Florida to live close to Shalala and Reno - man I wish I could see her today - N.O.W. oh WOW!!!

[Long Cut]

See my previous post. Augusta National admits very few people of any kind. It certainly does not "admit everyone except...".

It also is not a business.

For the life of me, I cannot understand why someone would want to join a club by DEMANDING to be let in. Do these women think that they'd somehow, after they pry the door open (whilst trashing all of the club's rules and traditions in the process, as well as humiliating the membership) be welcomed at the bar for a drink of brandy and a cigar with the boys?

[YaYa123]

Susan Estrich was on FOXNews today, discussing politics, but her last shot of the day was pure hissing anger that the Masters was playing hard ball by dismissing it's sponsors to avoid having to admit women. Estrich said, "mark my words", CBS is next on the hit list. Meaning...the Women's Organization would sue CBS to keep them from televising The Masters, because they aren't allowed to discriminate against women either.

This is going to be fun to watch...and I'm betting on The Masters!

[Long Cut]

How true. I'm not even a great golf fan, but this is fine entertainment!

The lezbonazis are in somewhat of a tizzy. They are, you see, totally unnacustomed to being defied so strongly and resolutely. Even their usual tactics aren't working. It's causing something of a short-circuit in their already-confused minds. Priceless.

Augusta's golf-clothes wearing old duffers (and I mean that affectionately) are showing a LOT of weaker institutions the meaning of cojones. God bless 'em!

[SauronOfMordor]

Why is it that the feminists "celebrate" women's colleges but condemn all-male clubs?

Perhaps among the wealthy men in the club are a few savvy lawyers that can remedy this situation? A few pro-bono cases that culminate in a Supreme Court finding that going after men-only places without also prohibiting women-only places violates the "equal-protection" clause?

[SauronOfMordor]

They could run an ad campaign and show a big fat ugly dyke-looking broad and have her say, "I'm boycotting Miller High Life as unfair to women!"

Then they show a group of guys laughing their asses off at her while drinking the cold brew.

I like your ideas!

[Dazedcat]

I agree with you, to a point. I'm curious as to how many who've responded to this thread have ever been turned down from playing at a private golf club in their lives? I was. Back in '73 a college buddy of mine invited me to play as a guest at his fathers' club course. I was told there were no tee times available, when clearly the course was three quarters empty at the time. I also found out later on (from my well meaning and totally embarassed friend).....that they didn't let Catholics play, let alone an Italian-American catholic such as myself. I wasn't mad at him...and I really wasn't mad at the good "christian" protestant Angelo's who ran the place. That's just how life was.....and still is.

But my point is, despite all the laws in the world, you can never legislate bigotry out of life. The only alternative is to boycott what offends you; take your money and your loyalities elsewhere. Augusta National has every right to choose who they want to admit, or not admit. Personally I could care less. I know they wouldn't let me in lol. But I'd never even try to apply there.....I wouldn't care for the company.

My personal feeling is, as long as a persons' legal rights are not infringed, a private club or organization can do whatever they wish. There needs to be a lot more faith in people to decide for themselves what's right and what's wrong.....and a LOT less governmental rules and regulations which attempt to force morality onto people.

Oh and one last thing, I never watch the Masters (and I love golf). I don't like giving crackers my time.....or my money. "Southern traditions" are surely alive and well....just not here.

[ChasingFletch]

Why in the world do women THINK they should be allowed to be members at Augusta. It's a private club, period. Men don't want to join their lame associations. Go away ladies, but Anna Kournakova and a few other of the ladies can come over every once in a while to use the tennis courts !!!!!

[RobFromGa]

I don't like giving crackers my time

You sure sound like a poster child for tolerance.

[Dazedcat]

I wasn't trying to be a poster child for anything. I never used the word "tolerance" in my post at all. I'm the most intolerant person I know when it comes to something that offends or annoys me.

I was just pointing out for every action there's a reaction.....something that should occur on a regular basis in a free society.

[victim soul]

Agreed.

Cadillac should sponsor the whole show.

The NAGS don't represent real women and they don't buy Cadillacs - they ride brooms.

Thank you, Hootie and Augusta National.

[RobFromGa]

I wasn't trying to be a poster child for anything.

Fair enough, but all "crackers" aren't.

[Uncle Hal]

I do not understand where the Masters is going to get the money to pay CBS. CBS buys the rights to televise the masters and then sells the advertising to sponsors. So the sponsors ultimately pays for everything. Plus the Masters also pays out prize money to the competitors. Admission fees will not cover the costs, I am sure. I must be missing something. These people are obviously smarter than me.

[Dazedcat]

You're right, they're not. Sorry if you took offense to my comment.....my apologies to you.

[Long Cut]

Already own some, thanks.

On the issue at hand, it has nothing to do with gullibility, it has to do with what you can prove. Using raw numbers, like you are doing, has always been the Left's main tactic...they try to imply racism/sexism/any-ism exists when no proof does, by citing statistics which can have MANY causes. Consider:

1. Blacks do not play golf in the same numbers whites do;

2. Until very recently, they did not have the money that a membership in Augusta would have required;

3. Considering the fact that #'s 1 and 2 above would have to converge in an individual that the club itself found an appealing member (P. Diddy or Tupac Shakur would need not apply) and the prospect does not sound as ridiculous as you may think. You have to look closer than the surface.

Please note, you may indeed be correct, all I am saying is that it cannot be proven. Especially with a club that excludes 99.9999999% of the wealthy white male population.

Whatever the case, it does not merit the tactics being used. As I said, such sleazy tactics taint the goal, if it is achieved thus. After all, it's only a country club! Is it really worth the extreme amount of shrill rhetoric that will be launched by the lezbonazis?

Or can they not live while even one institution stands up to them? (I think we both know the answer)

[Long Cut]

I call them "lezbonazis" because that seems to be the largest component of their usual membership. "Nazis" because of their bullying, blackmailing tactics.

And the assumption that they somehow deserve admission anywhere they wish to go, at any time, regardless of the wishes of those who decide such things, strikes me as wrong. The club uses no government funds, and has the right, therefore, to set its own membership. It certainly has NO obligation to admit someone based on a group's demands. Why could an woman, on her own, not apply for membership in the approved way, and wait for approval?

I'm sorry, but one would think that prospective members in any club would first be sure to follow the club's rules. Hootie Johnson himself has said that the day may yet come when Augusta National would admit women, he just won't do so under duress from outside groups who probably don't know a golf club from a baseball bat.

These women are just trolling for an issue to get them airtime and ink (not to mention donations and sympathy). Amazing how they never mention women's issues like female circumcision, opression of women, slavery, and all the other horrors which make up daily life for women around the world (and which the U.S. Military, which counts women as members, is currently working to change in a number of places). Nope, that would be somewhat more difficult than trying to shake down a country club, and there wouldn't be any old rich guys to attack.

Their bravery is touching.

[BelieveNFreedom]

I noticed you said "when" they give in. A bad thought, but alas, probably true. If so, I suggest the first female member be Katherine Harris.