The Master's tells 'em to shove it.

CNNSI ^ | 8/30/2002 | unknown

[groanup]

NEW YORK (AP) -- 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 on Friday notified the tournament's three sponsors -- IBM, Citigroup and Coca-Cola -- that the Masters "will not request their participation" in 2003.

[LenS]

He's a former winner and that makes him practically a member.

Actually, he's the current winner also.

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

God bless Duffers and Hackers alike you go boys !!!!

[staytrue]

I think it would be cool to invite the top 4 women to play in the masters and then watch them shoot in the 80's or if they are having a bad day, in the 90's.

[staytrue]

The masters course was built by men. The greatness of the Masters is the tradition of great golf played by men golfers. If the tradition of great golf was not there, the women would not want to be a member there. In short, the women are thieves who want a free piggy back ride on the tradition that is the Masters that has been made great by men. Women have no interest in joining a bad golf course and making it better or building a great golf course or making a legacy of tradition on their own. That would take too much work. They see something great that men have done and then want to stake (steal) their claim to it.

[Leisler]

It is a private organization, on private land. They can freely associate with whom they choose, at their leisure and liberty. If there is anything corrupting, is caused solely by the government and the people who will leave no place in this country where the government’s boot does not press.

[goldstategop]

It takes courage to tell the NOW NAGs to go and mind their own goddamned business. You have feminazis with too much time on their hands trying to ruin another great American institution. I hope the Augusta Masters just keeps on playing great guys' golf the old-fashioned way!!!

[Madame Dufarge]

CocaCola and IBM issued short, gracious statements, but

Citigroup declined comment.

[knowtherules]

CBS has a year-to-year deal to broadcast the Masters Tournament. It is strickly done on a handshake basis and is renewable soly at the discretion of the club. It has never been publicly disclosed how much CBS pays Augusta National for the rights to broadcast.

I would not be suprised to find out that in 2003 Augusta National either waived the broadcast fee or is actually paying CBS to broadcast the tournament. Augusta National has no shortage of resources (read money) and it they want to pay to have their tournament on TV, great.

[The Wizard]

I agree

[groanup]

"Actually, he's the current winner also."

Defending champion.

[Conan the Librarian]

OH it is a wonderful place to spend a day....rain or shine. My uncle got tickets and invited my father and I to use them. We would go up to Augusta for Thursday's round spend the day wandering around the course and then go out to Sconyer's BarBQ for the best BBQ in the universe. It was great to go with my dad. He had been going up since the 40's (back when you could walk with the golfers) and knew where to go to see the best action. My uncle and dad have passed away now.... Besides not having access to the tickets, it just isn't as much fun to watch as it was
then. Did I mention that the Tiger once hit my dad with a golf ball?

[Eternal_Bear]

See nothing wrong with having a club that only admits one sex. Traditional cultures had societies and lodges that also admitted one sex only. No one seems to criticize them. Sometimes a little segregation is healthy.

[Ferris]

The amazing condition of the Augusta National golf club course and grounds is truly indescribable...

There is absolutely no other place like it on planet earth...

[William Terrell]

Of course you have an exclusionary policy.

Even if they had a written rule excluding all females, why would it matter to you?

[groanup]

For all of its existence, up until a year ago, the Masters had only two sponsors: Cadillac and Traveler's Insurance (now Citigroup). The total commercial time alloted to these two sponsors was/is 4 minutes per hour. Now they have IBM, Coca Cola and Citigroup. I don't know what happened to Cadillac.

I once walked next to the sponsors and players parking lot. There must have been 1,000 Cadillacs.

[groanup]

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/sports/0802/31masters.html

[Flyer]

Augusta National will not be "bullied, threatened or intimidated"

Beautiful. Just beautiful.

---

[Landru]

"Want to tell us how to run our business? Fine. We run it the way we want to. No matter WHAT you tell us."

About damned time *someone* stepped up to the plate & told these whack-jobs where to stuff it.
Be nice if Target (Dayton-Hudson) learned this tactic, too.

Aside from that, though.
I'm sure this could be viewed as "opportunity knocking" for a group of rich old birds to get together, pool their loot, & start their own "Augusta National" club to cater to women only.

That would be the smart thing for the loud mouthed old bag to be thinking about.

...but *equal* opportunity's really not what's eating at this old crow either, huh.

[Ann Archy]

Nice to read that a man actually has a PAIR.....nice going Mr. Hootie Johnson!!