Conference 7.286::sports_90

    It's by the first tee.
    
    
    Mr Mike
    
    

In the HOLE!
    

REFINE::ASHE "This ain't no Shangrala..."            16 lines   3-AUG-1990 11:00
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Valid point Bob,  I planned to call the local ABC affiliate to
    complain.  Not sure if they're the ones who should suffer though.
    It's the PGA's doing, ABC has to show due to contract, right?
    
    I figure golf's such a lame game anyway, only the true sippers
    would be affected.  I'm glad to see a lot of the sponsors pulling
    out.  I guess USA today is going to feature it next week in a 
    sports special.  Glad to see Jim Thorpe and Trevino are still playing too.
    Good to see minorities out there to smack it around.  I hope one of
    them win it.
    
    -Walt
    
    Oh yeah, back to the topic.  I'd be up for it 'Saw... bring copies
    tomorrow.
    
================================================================================
COMET::EDWARDS "Broncos...one week at a time"         9 lines   3-AUG-1990 11:05
                      -< a little pressure DOES work.... >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shoal Creek has broken the color barrier.....They admitted a local black
to the club with an "honorary" membership.  This means that he has all the 
rights and priviledges of the other members, just didn't have to pay the
initition fees.  Also didn't have to go before the entire membership, just the
executive committe.   They are also "considering" at least one other black
for membership.  He will have to come up with the cash, though.

	Ed^2
    

    Ok, let's try this again...
    
    I think the admission was a CYA manuveur.  Don't really buy that
    their attitudes have changed.  More like "well, we're in trouble,
    let's give a membership away and make sure he keeps his nose clean."
    
    They can do what they want.  The problem is the PGA shouldn't have
    had their championship to begin with.  If the club wants to
    discriminate, that should be something the courts should deal with.
    But the PGA shouldn't support that type of view by selecting them
    to hold their championship.
    
    -Walt

    Interesting commentary on this in the local paper the other day.  The
    author commented that the sponsors probably didn't make the decision to
    boycott out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather it was a
    business decision.  They are getting an immense amount of  publicity
    and public good will without having to spend the millions it would have
    cost to advertise at the event.  These same companies have been
    sponsoring PGA events for years.  This isn't the first time that a
    major tournament has been held at an "exclusive" club.  What took them
    so long to come around?
    
    I saw an interview on Good Morning America the other day of someone who
    had been very vocal on the boycott.  He admitted that Shoal Creek's
    concession smacked of tokenism, but he said that at least a step has
    been made.

Actually, someone at some point (think i heard this on a golf tournament)
said that the PGA has typically looked at the course, and the difficulty 
etc in making it's choice, not the makeup of the CC.

It should be interesting to see how this affects future site selections.

BTW, there was an excellent thing on the local news a month or so
ago, about minority golfers.  They interviewed young blacks who play
golf at the HS level, and they said the golf wasn't considered cool,
but that they enjoyed playing.  There is an active movement in
southern CT, and NY to get more minorities involved with the game.

YOu folks didn't mention one of my favorites, and one of golf's
greatest ambassadors:  Chi Chi!

'Saw

    I didn't mention Chi Chi because I haven't seen any WKRP episodes
    in a while... no seriously, I haven't seen if he's on the list
    of those eligible to play in the tournament.  Trevino played
    some events before he went to the Senior tour.  I don't think
    Chi Chi has.  
    
    It's also a economic type thing too, but I'm sure that's another
    topic.  It was like watching channel 7 in Boston and watching
    Debbie Engblom or whatever her name is talking about things to
    do this summer.  Last night was croquet at at croquet club in
    Brookline I think.  Tonight it's horseback riding in NH.   I want to 
    see her "D" it up on the asphalt in Roxbury or something like that.
    
    -Walt

 Never mind Shoal Creek what about Augusta where they hold the Masters?
 Yes they are in the process of allowing blacks but before this year
 there were none...

 In reality though it would certainly help if a few players took up the
 battle. I mean if a sponsor drops out it's no big deal cause someone
 else will take their place but if 5 of the top 10 players dropped out
 it would sure change things. I mean it isn't like these players can't
 make up the money somewhere else along the way. Screw the prestige of
 winning the PGA, if a guy dropped out for because of this shame, I'd
 respect him a whole lot more than the winner....

mike

    Interesting situation here.  If they have indeed offered a membership
    to a Black person, should he accept, and thus break the line at
    that particular club, or, should he decline under the headlines
    that it's tokenism? 
    
    I find that it's incredible that this is still happening in 1990!
    
    I don't mean the bigotry, for, sadly, that will always exist anywhere
    man is.  But that golf clubs of such supposed stature are practicing
    such a despicable act.  Even MORE startling is that fact that the
    PGA is just finding out about it!  Where they hell have they been?
    
    Personally, I feel the sponsors who have, or are threatening, to
    back out are basing it on economics, not good-will to men.  That's
    business, I guess.  Too bad it sips, and not so discreetly, either.

    Lee

    
    
    Re.  The Masters at Augusta National.
    
    Heard this on the sports reporters on ESPN.  Dick Schaap was
    commenting on the trouble at Shoal Creek and related a story
    about Charlie Sifford.  Sifford was in 23rd place going into the
    final round of the U.S. Open (Masters invites top 24) and someone
    from the Masters inferred that they would change the invitation
    to the top 22 to keep him out.  I think this was back in the 40's.
    Needless to say Sifford did not make the top 24 that year.
    
    Another related topic.  How come people aren't up in arms about
    the PGA tour allowing Gary Player who is from South Africa?
    All other South African athletes aren't allowed to compete on the
    world stage.  I personally like Player for his work ethic and
    dedication to the game.
    
    
    re.  Shoal Creek
    
    I think this is the second time they have held the PGA at Shoal Creek.
    I thought Trevino won the PGA the first time it was held there.
    
    \pjb - who loves the game of golf.
    
    
    

The PGA, and just about everyone involved in country clubs already 
knew about the practices.  There are all types of racial or religous
based exclusion going on out there.  Pick a race or creed and you can
be sure that there are clubs that you can't get into.   There are
religous only clubs also. 

So, if everybody knows, why the uproar?  Simple.  The head of Shoal
Creek stated their policy, and saw no reason to change it.  If he
hadn't come right out and said it, IBM, Honda, etc. would still be
sponsoring the tourney.

Unfortunately, I'm not all that surprised that such policies exist.
The last few years has seen an increase in intolerence.  I don't know
what it will take to turn it around.

Mike  

I believe there is another South African golfer on the tour also.
I might be wrong, but isn't David Frost from South Africa.  If not
he, then I know that here is another besides Player...

'Saw

    Re: Gary Player/South Africa
    
    Harold Henning on the Senior circuit is from S.A.  When the Digital
    Seniors tournament was held here in Concord, Mass. Henning was in the
    lead or very close to it at one point.  Nelson Mandella arrived in town
    the very day Henning was near the top.  Immediately following a good
    round, Henning was "unavailable" for interview.  He left the course
    immediately, upon concluding his round.  Knowing the Boston writers,
    the first thing I thought of was his apprehension at being asked 
    questions about Mandella being 30 minutes down the road, but no
    explanation was ever given.
    
    FYI - Lee Trevino still refuses to enter the clubhouse at Augusta.  He
    changes into his golf shoes in the parking lot.
    
    					Steve

    RE South Africa,
    
    I'll get blasted from here to there - but I don't think athletes
    from S.A. should be banned from international competition.  
    
    My opinion.  I don't believe in S.A.'s politics, but don't feel
    like the athletes should suffer.  
    
    Especially since 'pro' athletes from S.A. compete in golf, tennis,
    racing, etc., and always have, with nary a whimper of protest. 
    It seems that only rugby teams and white track athletes get banned
    (after all, Sydnee Maree competed while still a south african...)
    
    JD

    Has Shoal Creek denied membership because of race?? I haven't heard
    anything about that point. If no minorities have applied, none have
    been denied, right? If, in fact, Shoal Creek has denied minority
    applicants on racial grounds, then close the doors and last one out
    locked the joint up. 
    	Re. JD.  Good point. (Or is it Goo point??) :-)
    
    			Rich
    

    The PGA will add discriminatory practices to its list of criteria for
    awarding an event to a country club.
    
    The Shoal Creek thing would probably have never come up except that one
    of the officials said something really stupid.  Kind of like Jimmy the
    Greek and whatisname from the Dodgers.  Once the media got ahold of it,
    the public, the sponsors, and finally the PGA did something about.  

    Well, it's about time the PGA takes some positive steps in this
    regard.  From your comment, Mac, I surmise that they, PGA, wouldn't
    have taken such steps if this incident haden't received the publicity
    it did.  If so, that is very sad.
    
    It's 1990, for Cripe's sake.  Not 1890, not 1980, but 1990!  How
    can this type of situation still exist at such a level?  By level,
    I mean that I would expect (but abhor) such behavior at some small
    and obscure club much more than at a supposedly prestigeous club.
    It's still wrong, no matter where it occurs.  But few small clubs
    get to host such an event which receive the amount of media coverage
    that a PGA tournament gets.
    
    On second thought, perhaps it's a good thing that it did happen.
    IF the PGA really does screen future sites prior to scheduling events,
    then perhaps other restrictive clubs will begin to review their
    policies for this type of bias, and make changes NOW.
    
    It won't solve the problem, but some progress is better than none.
    
    Our government spends an awful lot of money in studying such things
    as endangered worms and flowers, etc.  Yet, basic human rights,
    as guaranteed by our own laws, are ignored unless they receive
    publicity, or the offended party has enough money to persue their
    case in the courts.  At their own expense, of course.  We're WAY
    out of balance here.
    
    Lee

    >Well, it's about time the PGA takes some positive steps in this
    >regard.
    
    Has anyone noticed that Shoal Creek has now has the same number of
    black members as the Red Sox?  If they add one more token, they'll inch
    ahead.
    
    Dan