LPGA to require English for intl players

[Porter]

LPGA to require English for intl players - Golf - Yahoo! Sports

The LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009, with players who have been LPGA members for two years facing suspension if they can’t pass an oral evaluation of English skills. The rule is effective immediately for new players.

I didn't know the LPGA had college courses.

[NYgiantsfan5689]

this is so ****ing ridiculous. SUSPENSION?? seriously?? unbelievable. this is setting such an awful precedent in sports, and for WHAT reason?? i'm beside myself

[Foster]

It's an international competition, not an english speaking sport.
Get with the year I don't know, lets say 1942, when Columbus found the new world.

[rockin500]

good for the LPGA. bout time someone took a stand. You work (and live, for the most part) in the states, you speak the damned language that is primarily spoken (which happens to be english). If you want to speak korean, go back to korea (north or south, i dont care which).

If you go to germany or france to work and live, you had damned well better learn to speak german or french, respectively.

[love_that_reefer]

Yeah I agree with rockin. If you live or make a living in this country where English is the most popular language, you better learn it!! This should be a law if we could ever get our immigration policies in order. Imagine how much better this country would be if all citizens spoke the same language. Damn, I just got a boner!

[browntown653]

This is a ****ing joke. English isn't even the national language and we're going to SUSPEND golfers for not speaking it? This is one the most arrogant things I've ever seen in sports. Give me a ****ing break. What's next, every baseball player needs to speak English? The teams would get destroyed!

[DirtyKash]

It's an international competition, not an english speaking sport.
Get with the year I don't know, lets say 1942, when Columbus found the new world.

Except that the LPGA is an American organization with its vast majority of tournaments in the United States. It is very difficult to promote your product to your target audience if the players that you are trying to promote cannot speak English.

[DirtyKash]

This is a ****ing joke. English isn't even the national language and we're going to SUSPEND golfers for not speaking it? This is one the most arrogant things I've ever seen in sports. Give me a ****ing break. What's next, every baseball player needs to speak English? The teams would get destroyed!

It's no different than the NBA wanting to improve its image for better marketing, and as a result, asking their players to follow a certain dress code. The LPGA wants to reach out to its fans; it only makes sense that they require that their players learn at least some basic English in order to give interviews or for ads/commercials/whatever. The players are being paid great money in these tournaments, it's not much to ask. If they don't like it, they can always go play on the LPGA of Korea Tour, the LPGA European Tour, etc. But so far, the reaction from the players has been most positive and accepting of this new initiative.

[rockin500]

This is a ****ing joke. English isn't even the national language and we're going to SUSPEND golfers for not speaking it? This is one the most arrogant things I've ever seen in sports. Give me a ****ing break. What's next, every baseball player needs to speak English? The teams would get destroyed!

what is language but a way for society's to communicate? English is the common language in the states. It may not be officially so, but it most certainly is, effectively. It is in the LPGA's interest (and any business that does their business here in the states) to require everyone to communicate effectively. To do that in the United States is to speak english.

If you were to go into a professional environment, you would be expected to be able to command the english language, since its the effective language here. And if you couldnt speak it (or trouble with it written), a company would find a way to get rid of your ass.

[browntown653]

So you could be the best female golfer in the world, but you can't compete because you don't know English.

[rockin500]

So you could be the best female golfer in the world, but you can't compete because you don't know English.

if you live here, you should be at least functionally literate in the english language within two years.

again, if i were to go over to germany, I most certainly would need to learn how to speak german within two years.

They arent asked to be FLUENT in english. They ARE being asked to be able to function halfway decently in the language.

[Kingdom]

horry cow!

[DirtyKash]

So you could be the best female golfer in the world, but you can't compete because you don't know English.

Uh no. They're not being asked to know English immediately. If they don't know English, they will still be allowed to play. All the Tour is asking of them is that they take steps to learn the language. Sign up for language classes, etc.

[DirtyKash]

The players agree:

And Seon-Hwa Lee, who said she is working with an English tutor during the offseason and plans to brush up for the evaluation, thinks everyone "can do a simple interview," according to the report. Her ability to answer questions without a translator has improved during her time on the tour.

"The economy is bad, and we are losing sponsors," she said, according to the report. "Everybody understands."

and

"We agree we should speak some English," Se Ri Pak said, according to the report. "We play so good overall. When you win, you should give your speech in English."

[realmofotalk]

I don't recall anything from the history books about Native Americans demanding that the boat people from England speak the tribal language.