More on the ongoing LGPA story...

[Harold Schiffman]

1.
Sponsor asks LPGA to rethink English requirement
Posted 13h 18m ago | Comment  | Recommend  E-mail | Save | Print |
Reprints & Permissions |




Yahoo! Buzz Digg Newsvine Reddit FacebookWhat's this?By Jerry Potter, USA TODAY
LPGA tournament sponsor State Farm Insurance is urging the women's
golf organization to reconsider its recent policy that will require
international players to communicate in English to remain members of
the association.
"We're not certain this policy is necessary," said Phil Supple, a
spokesman for the Bloomington, Ill., company. "We've asked the LPGA to
take another look at it."

State Farm became title sponsor of the Rail Classic in 1993. The
tournament has operated since 1976 in Springfield, Ill. The company
has one more year on its contract.


CHRISTINE BRENNAN: Critics were too quick to judge policy

Last week Kate Peters, the tournament director for the State Farm
Classic, endorsed the policy. "This is an American tour," Peters said.
"It is important for sponsors to be able to interact with players and
have a positive experience." Supple said Wednesday that the tournament
was separate from the company. "Ms. Peters does not speak for State
Farm," he said. "We speak for State Farm."

When the LPGA announced the policy, deputy commissioner Libba Galloway
explained that "players need the tools to interact with fans and
sponsors. One of those tools is to speak English." The LPGA has 121
foreign players from 26 countries, including 45 from South Korea. Five
of the Koreans have won six tournaments this year.  The association is
headquartered in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Florida ACLU executive
director Howard Simon said last week the policy violates Florida law
on discrimination because language is an element of a person's
national origin.


-- http://www.usatoday.com/sports/golf/lpga/2008-09-03-sponsor-english_N.htm


**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of
the list as to the veracity of a message's contents. Members who
disagree with a
message are encouraged to post a rebuttal. (H. Schiffman, Moderator)
*******************************************