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."

[glory]

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."



Absolutely.

[AmishDude]

Do you know many Mahattan condo associations that have never admitted a woman?

I don't think many East Village apt. buildings have gone condo, no.

[foreverfree]

bump

[AmishDude]

Manhattan condo associations often discriminate for a variety of shallow reasons, including profession, children, pets, age or even race. Generally speaking, though, they do take couples.

But, ya know, it's hard to gin up a lot of anger in favor of a women's group (pot, meet kettle) protesting an impossibly exclusive club (Bill Gates, Rush Limbaugh are not permitted to be members) in the process setting back the cause of any woman who may have once had a shot at being a member 20 years or more.

All this when real, actual, blatant and open discrimination goes on in employment every day.

[dcwusmc]

Whine all you want, the fact remains, they are a private club. Denny's is a private business and, while such discrimination is dumb and counterproductive most of the time, it IS not, in the case of ANGC, and SHOULD NOT BE, in the case of Denny's and others, FedGov's business. If you feel otherwise, perhaps you are on the wrong site.

I do NOT say they SHOULD discriminate. I say it is not your business or mine or FedGov's if they do. If I am offended I can boycott the business and encourage others to do the same. Properly I have no recourse to gooberment unless they come on MY property with their mess. If they don't want my business, it's up to them. If they run chasing me through the streets, I have legal recourse. See the difference?

[meia]

This doesn't make total sense to me. CBS is contractually bound to pay the money to Augusta National for the right to broadcast, isn't it? It's CBS that sells the air time, not Augusta. Why is Augusta National telling the sponsors to get lost? If they don't buy any air time, it's CBS's problem, not theirs. When the contract with CBS expires, the rights will presumably be worth a lot less and then Augusta would take their hit.

Actually, a lot of sporting events, especially golf, get on the air because the event officials, in this case the club or the PGA will pay the network to broadcast the event and then the club or the PGA will then sell their advertising time themselves. NASCAR did this before they made their deal with FOX and NBC. A lot of colleges do this expecially with radio. They will pay the station to carry their games and then sell the time themselves. Sometimes they will make a deal with the networks or the stations for them to also sell a certain amount of time also, or they will just keep it all for themselves.

[dcwusmc]

Oh, and what about "black-only" or "women-only?" Are they jake with you? Even tax-payer supported organizations?

[dcwusmc]

I don't know by name any specific business but I am aware of numerous colleges (including tax-funded ones) that are "all-black" or women-only. One college in Oakland, CA, is women-only. I drive by it at times.

These are OK with you, I take it.

Oh and, FYI, I am married to a Jamaican so you can really see how racist I am...

[billhilly]

"Anyways, which Network will air the Masters if they can't make any $$ off of it?"

The network that carries the Masters will do it for the same reason that they carry Presidential speeches. The public demands it.

Also, let me add my words of respect for the leadership of Agusta Country Club.

[Eaker]

Private means private. Period.

My property is private. Come on to my property without my invitation and prepare for a REALLY long nap.

Boys do not belong in the Girl Scouts, Queers do not belong in the Boy Scouts and if a private club doesn't want women then fine. They have a right to protest and they have a right to lose and have scorn heaped upon them.

Stay safe; stay armed; smoke 'em if you got 'em.

[dcwusmc]

You can have the last word here. As I said, I know of no specific business that would exclude whites. This does not mean that they don't exist somewhere. I know of some where if you are white you would be well advised to stay away from the whole neighborhood let alone the stores there... but that's a whole nother issue. And thanks. I could not remember Mills college's name...

Point is though that it is NOT the business of gooberment to forcibly integrate private businesses or clubs or orgs like the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts... If you have a problem with that, I suggest you get a life and leave them to go to perdition on their own. If they want to chase you down the street and bring their policies to you, then you have a point. Otherwise, no one is forcing you to do business with them nor should they be FORCED to do business with you.

So reply and get the last word on this or not... then I get it by default.

[humblegunner]

A classic case of "Glock thumb" x 2....
With a bit 'o Eaker's blown up hand thrown in for good measure..

[humblegunner]

Oops, wrong thread!

[dtel]

Hootie's next letter.

It is with great disappointment that we announce we will no longer play The Masters tournament or any other public tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.
Rather than knuckle under to the political correctness of these times, we have chosen to shut it down.
In an unrelated matter we would also like to introduce our first woman member, Katherine Harris of Florida.
We thank all of our past patrons and champions.
Hootie

[Orbiter]

Well, you certainly must, at the very least, explain what "Glock Thumb" is.

[humblegunner]

If you grip a Glock 27 improperly when firing, the slide
will take a bite out of your thumb. Usually this only
happens once, as you very quickly learn the right grip.