Posted on 05/25/2003 11:41:45 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
That Golfer Has Ovaries—Love Her!
By Joseph J. Sabia
In the face of overwhelming public support, Annika Sorenstam bravely broke the PGA sex barrier at the Colonial and…choked. Early reports indicate that the main reason for her poor performance was that she putted like a girl. After finishing 5-over par at the end of two rounds, Annika was forced to take a powder (literally), leaving the green in tears. (Sadly, she had a hard time finding her way off the green due to her inability to read a map.) Annika has been receiving accolades from all corners of the political (and sports) world for becoming the first woman in 58 years to play a PGA Tour event. Conservatives and liberals alike have praised this woman for her “inspirational” performance at the Colonial. The headlines were hard to ignore.
On May 23, the Boston Herald ran the front-page headline “Annika proving she’s on par with the boys.” On the back-page of the same newspaper on the same day the Herald ran the headlines “You the woman” and “Classy Sorenstam wows ‘em on PGA Tour.” Just in case Herald readers weren’t sure who to root for, the following headlines were included inside the May 23 issue: “Annika shows PGA how it’s done” and “Fans hope Annika putts duffers in their place.” Get it? LOVE HER!
After Annika failed to make the cut, the Herald was undaunted, carrying the following headlines in their May 24 edition: “Trailblazing Sorenstam misses Colonial cut,” “Annika out, but climb to history cut-and-dried,” and “Socially speaking, Sorenstam on a role.” On May 25, the Herald reversed itself, blaring a headline that could have been penned by Jayson Blair: “Annika can cut it.”
On May 23, The San Jose Mercury News declared “Sorenstam shows ‘em.” Shows who? The chauvinists? The naysayers? The lesbians? Who? On the same day, USA Today blared “Sorenstam hangs with guys.” The Denver Rocky Mountain News proclaimed “For girls, Annika in ‘fore’ front.”
The Chicago Tribune gave Annika a branch of the armed forces, asking “Annika’s army has momentum, but for how long?” (I think she's in a quagmire.) The New York Times’ Dave Anderson demanded to know “Can Sorenstam, at Center Stage, Inspire a Mixed U.S. Open?” The Associated Press lamented Annika’s defeat, running the Bop-style headline “Sorenstam doesn’t make cut, but still hot.”
On the political talk shows, almost all pundits have supported Annika’s appearance at the Colonial—from Fred Barnes and Rush Limbaugh on the right to Bill Press and Alan Colmes on the left. Even President George W. Bush weighed in, saying, “I'm impressed by Annika Sorenstam. I hope she makes the cut. I'm pulling for her.” Reporters and politicians have been positively orgasmic, crowning Annika the new Susan B. Anthony. In political circles, only Pat Buchanan and nationally syndicated radio talk show host Mike Gallagher have been vocal in their opposition to Annika’s stunt.
Annika has no business playing in the all-male PGA. Women are physically different from men and as such do not have the same aptitudes in sports. Golf is no exception. To pretend otherwise is delusional. Annika did not qualify to play the Colonial in the same way that men did—the PGA gave her preferential treatment because she was a circus act.
“But Sabia,” you say, “even though Annika didn’t make the cut, she did finish better than eleven other guys out there. So women can compete with men. Come on—stop being a sexist pig.”
No, I will do no such thing. First, the eleven guys that were beaten by a chick should turn in their manhood cards immediately and start new careers befitting their statures; maybe organizing Sex in the City fan clubs or something. Second, just because a woman scores a fluke and beats a few men does not mean that she is qualified to golf in the PGA. An unqualified black kid who is admitted to an elite college based on a racial preference scheme may manage to avoid finishing last in his class, but that doesn’t mean that he ought to be there. The same holds for Annika.
Lady golfers have their own little golfing group, the LPGA. There, they can pretend that they are real golfers and stay out of men’s way. It’s like the WNBA for basketball players or the WTA for tennis players.
The Annika Sorenstam saga is a dream come true for shrill feminists who want no societal distinctions between men and women. These feminists have had their agenda aided by politically correct politicians and prissy sports reporters who have found another front to fight the Augusta National war. Politically correct feminists have secured a major victory with Annika Sorenstam. Their goal of integrated sports teams has been advanced. And once again, conservatives have failed to speak out on an important aspect of the culture war.
Is my view on this matter extreme? Am I out of touch? Well, at least one babe agrees with me: Annika Sorenstam. In a television interview following her lackluster performance, she wailed:
“I’m not as tough as I thought I was. I was way over my head…No, I won’t reconsider (and try it again). I’m very thankful and honored to have been here, but I know where I belong and I’m going to go back [to the LGPA].”
Good for Annika. She knows her place. Why won’t feminists learn theirs?
Same for most of the men on the tour.
Same for most of the men on the tour.
Ssssh! Don't confuse 'em with the facts.
If the PGA and LPGA don't want to allow mixed genders in the future, then they shouldn't allow Sponsor's wildcard invitations (or whatever the invitations were called that allowed Annika).
There is NO need for a PGA and an LPGA! There should be a Professional Golfing Assn and a Semi-Professional Golfing Assn, depending on ABILITY not gender.
The problem is that these same Annika boosters would cry foul if certain male golfers, who were not good enough to make the PGA, wanted to "test themselves" on the LPGA. In short there was an agenda behind the Annika scam. It was the same people who were outraged about The Masters's exclusionary (and thoroughly constitutional) policy. Let's hope that this is the last stunt of its kind. It proved nothing.
This will certainly happen. If there can be no legal (read, legal precident, just established by the courts) reason a woman cannot play in a mens tournament, what possible reason could there be not to apply the same legal reasoning to a man's request to play in a LPGA tournament.
Remember, there's MONEY to be made for the first man ranked 20,016 in the PGA to play and win on the LPGA.
FReegards, SFS
What was the preferential treatment they gave her?
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