[Greeklawyer]

wow.

[Pompah]

You go Hootie.!! Up the Nazi's.
If you need a little help with those Advertising fees next year. Just put out the word. I got a couple of bucks that would love to help keep The Masters a beautiful spring event for this "Golf Nut".

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Gee, I haven't heard Hillary speak out on this issue. Could it be because she is an alumni of Wellesley, which doesn't merely have a tradition of excluding men, but a written rule to that effect.

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

[lasereye]

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.

[zoyd]

Hootie Johnson is quickly becoming one of my favorite people.

[Maigrey]

This serves Ms. Burke right, trying to affect how a private organization runs their private club. If she's p'ed cause she wasn't admitted, then I have crocodile tears for her cause. Whining about letting women into ANGC won't make them any more accepted, just ridiculed and tormented.
When ANGC wants to admit women as full members, good for them. I for one am not going to boycot everything under the sun 'cause they don't.
Frankly, letting men congregate in peace and quiet and privacy does wonders for their ego. Letting them do this and acting like me keeps me from having to accept it when I whip them out on the course. They tend to whine too much.....

-Maigrey-

[FreedomPoster]

This kicks butt! What else can be said?

Bump for the right to free association.

[Maigrey]

ANGC Bump!

Maigrey

[uncbob]

These councils ain't nothing but a bunch of over the hill dykes

Why the hell sponsors should care what they think I don't know
Do they really think they are going to lose business because of these lessies

[Lorianne]

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.

I'm sure these companies will still be kicking in the money for the telecast or else they wouldn't be mentioning them. Let the boycotting begin.

[RobFromGa]

being pressured by the National Council of Women's Organizations

Dear Martha-

Just a question, isn't the name of your organization a bit exclusionary and discriminatory and hypocritical? Please explain why there are numerous "Women's Organizations"-- enough to require a Council.

Is one of your duties to help these Women's Organizations to exclude Men from their organizations?

Just wondering,

RobFromGa

[Archie Bunker on steroids]

As long as Hootie keeps tweaking Augusta National so that Tiger keeps winning, he doesn't need sponsors.

[Red Jones]

we should organize a boycott of the congressional black caucus. Because I understand they only let black people into the congressional black caucus.

[Texas_Jarhead]

bravo BUMP

[one2many]

I went to elementary school with Hootie's daughter.

I always thought she was real attractive.

Now I think she's beautiful.

Hi Jennifer; hope life has been good to you!

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

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.

Cool! Glad to hear it! Ad-free golf ..... yippee! I'm glad the organizers had the guts to stand up to these Femi-Nazis!!!!!

[Don Corleone]

Those broads could easily buy their own 200 acres of Georgia land, build a nice track for women and after a few years run their own tournament for females. They could call it the MISTRESSES!

[Glenn]

This is a chess move -- not game, set and match. The sponsers and the network are going to have to do some serious thinking about the situation. They know bloody well this is a High Holy Day amongst the wealthiest demographic in this country. I'm betting on their capitalist instincts finding a way out of this fine mess.

[GRRRRR]

GO GO GO Hootie!!

From FOXNEWS...

The Masters is going commercial-free, dropping its corporate sponsors to avoid pressure on them by a women's organization that challenged Augusta National's all-male membership.

Club chairman Hootie Johnson notified the tournament's three sponsors - IBM, Citigroup and Coca-Cola - on Friday that the Masters "will not request their participation" in 2003.

Those were the only companies that were allowed to run ads during the broadcast. Their logos also appeared on the Masters' Web site.

"This year's telecast will be conducted by the Masters Tournament," Johnson said in a statement. "We appreciate everything our media sponsors have done for us, but under the circumstances, we think it is important to take this step."

The Masters, which traditionally has the highest ratings in golf, will be the only commercial-free telecast in sports.

The friction began in June when Martha Burk, head of the National Council of Women's Organization, sent Johnson a letter urging him to add women to its membership.

Johnson said he canceled the one-year sponsorship contracts because the NCWO had launched a corporate campaign against the club.

Johnson has said the club has no exclusionary policies, although it has never had a female member its 69-year history, and only welcomed its first black member in 1990. In response to Burk's letter, Johnson defiantly said that Augusta National will not be "bullied, threatened or intimidated" to add female members.

Burk was at a conference in Maine on Friday. Calls to her cell phone were not immediately returned.

Coca-Cola spokesman Ben Deutsch confirmed the company did receive a letter from Burk, although he said it was not threatening.

"We had discussions with Augusta National officials and they recently informed us of their decision to conduct the tournament without sponsors," Deutsch said. "We enjoyed our one-year sponsorship of the Masters, and we wish them well."

IBM spokeswoman Deb Gotthimer would only confirm that the company received a letter from NCWO. "We respect the club's decision to hold the Masters without sponsors next year," she said.

Citigroup declined comment.

The companies also had a small chalet at Augusta National during the Masters. It was not immediately clear whether they would be able to use them next year.

"We are sorry, but not surprised, to see these corporations drawn into this matter," Johnson said. "Augusta National is NCWO's true target. It is therefore unfair to the put the Masters' media sponsors in the position of having to deal with this pressure."

The Masters already was the least commercialized tournament in golf, void of corporate tents and exhibitions at Augusta National. Its deal with CBS Sports allowed only four minutes of commercials each hour.

CBS spokeswoman Robin Brendle said the network would have no comment.

[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 !!!!!