I admit to being out of step with The Prowler on
“women’s issues.” I caught some flack for referring to a woman as a
“spokesperson” a couple columns back. I have offered free legal and
public relations advice to Martha Stewart, a political enemy to
some who read these pages. I sometimes refer to Hillary Clinton as
Hillary Rodham Clinton, and I don’t even think her legs
are that fat.
My liberal credentials now firmly in place, I can tell you that
Martha Burk and the National Council of Women’s Organizations
(NCWO) made a really stupid move trying to pressure Augusta
National Golf Club into admitting women members. In fact, if you
hate the attention given to women’s rights, Burk and NCWO are your
comrades. If this is their main issue, women must be doing a lot
better than those liberals think.
Dramatis Personae
Augusta National Golf Club — Private golf club in Augusta,
Georgia, host of The Masters golf tournament. The club is very
secretive about its rules, revenues, and membership. The club is a
very laid-back place. Most members drop by for the Masters and a
Member-Member tournament or two. Membership and dues are nominal.
Many members are worth nine figures. The members respect the club
so much they would pay more to belong if the Masters stops making
money. And they respect the tournament so much they would carry any
losses necessary to maintain it.
Burk, Martha — Chairperson, NCWO. Burk wrote William “Hootie”
Johnson in June asking that Augusta National invite a woman as a
member before hosting the 2003 Masters golf tournament. Following
Johnson’s negative and hostile response, she contacted the Sponsors
(see below) and CBS (see below). Burk has proven much more
effective at getting herself publicity for ridiculous causes (like
whether Mike Tyson should be allowed to box in D.C., whether J.C.
Penney should carry a basketball T-shirt saying, “Your game is as
ugly as your girl,” and whether the Sacajawea $1 coin should depict
her holding her baby) than real issues (like whether women deserve
equal pay).
CBS — Network broadcasting the Masters. CBS has carried the
tournament for forty-seven years, always on a one-year contract
designed to give Augusta National control over the broadcast. CBS
also pays below-market rates for the TV rights because the club
insists on limiting commercials to four minutes per hour. CBS
carries this tournament because it has always done so, because it
lends prestige to its coverage of all golf (and all sports) events.
Without sponsors, it could use the limited commercial time to
promote its other programming. CBS will still pay to broadcast the
tournament, even commercial free. And if it didn’t, another network
would step in.
Injustice, Real — Should employers be required to make
accommodations to working parents? We could argue about the cycle
of poverty, putting small employers out of business, liability
issues, tax hikes, and the role of the government in private
business. But we would be arguing about something that had an
outcome significantly affecting a lot of lives and involving a lot
of money.
Injustice, Symbolic — Seeing a black football player dodge some
tackles and saying, “look at that little monkey go!” Even though
Howard Cosell took courageous stands in favor of Jackie Robinson,
Curt Flood, and Muhammad Ali, and hardly anyone who heard Cosell
thought to complain — not even the player involved — the Rev.
Joseph Lowery of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
decided to make an issue of it, trying to make some point about
getting more minorities hired by the network.
Johnson, William “Hootie” - Chairperson, Augusta National Golf
Club. Johnson has generally been pro-civil rights during his
business career, was on the board of the National Urban League,
supported efforts to integrate South Carolina higher education
during the Sixties, and expanded minority membership at Augusta.
Reportedly, he wanted to invite a women to join the club but now
can’t because it will look like he was forced into it.
Masters, The — The annual golf tournament hosted by Augusta
National. Networks will make less money, or lose money, to televise
it. Members and players will continue the tournament even without
TV coverage, even if they have to pay for the privilege, rather
than being paid.
PGA Tour — The organization of touring professional golfers.
The Tour will not hold events at clubs with exclusionary membership
policies, but the Masters is not subject to the Tour’s rules; the
Augusta National Golf Club runs it. I’d love to see Burk ask the
players to boycott the tournament. The players would respond with
rhetoric that would make Hootie Johnson’s talk of bayonets, trophy
cases, and intimidation sound like a cooing baby. No group of
athletes is as conservative as golfers, and I think I can include
NASCAR and wild-game hunters. And they would play in the tournament
for free if necessary.
Sponsors, The — IBM, Citigroup (through its subsidiary,
Travelers Insurance), and Coca-Cola. Johnson, to prevent these
companies from being harassed, announced last week that the Masters
would be broadcast without sponsors in 2003. With all the corporate
turmoil this year, these companies — especially Citigroup, which
seems to be near the scene of every corporate crime — would
probably appreciate the diversion of being part of Augustagate.
(I’m assuming that’s what this will be called; Mastergate seems a
bit over the top.) No one will really miss the sponsors, as money
is less a part of this golf tournament than any professional
sporting event and most amateur sporting events.
Stewart, Martha — You knew I would get her into this sooner or
later. As one of the most visible women in Corporate America —
Carly Fiorina of Hewlett-Packard would be a less fun representative
— Martha is the kind of person who Augusta might invite as a
member at, as Hootie Johnson referred to it, “the point of a
bayonet.” Do you think Martha Stewart, or any woman of the stature
of a member of Augusta National, is somehow hurt by not belonging?
Do the Martha Stewarts and Carly Fiorinas of the world need the
NCWO’s help to get somewhere in business?
The Story
Actually, that is the story. And no heroes, unless Phil
Mickelson (or, better still, Greg Norman) shoots 30 on the back
nine next April to win the 2003 Masters, or Hootie Johnson sends me
an e-mail with his gratitude and an invitation to play a round at
Augusta National.
