LPGA Tour: The 21st Century Global Village

Craig Schaller announced yesterday on Rochester’s WHAM 1800 that he has the key to understanding why the LPGA Tour is suffering declining popularity. If his theory wasn’t so offensive it would be downright funny. Sadly, he doesn’t seem to be joking.

Jun 9, 2013; Pittsford, NY, USA; Catriona Matthew and Inbee Park hug after Park won the Championship after sinking a putt on the 3rd playoff hole during the final round of the Wegmans LPGA Championship at Locust Hill Country Club. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

“Here’s my problem with [the LPGA],” he wrote in his column, Golf Is In Their Seoul, “putting it bluntly, there are just too many gosh darn foreigners on the US tour, and more specifically, I’m talking about Koreans (and asians in general).”

Where’s Schaller located in time and space? Did he get stuck in the 19th Century? Did somebody forget to send him the memo that we’re living in a 21st Century Global Village? To be sure, the LPGA Tour has suffered over the past 24-36 months, as have many other enterprises, particularly those that are linked to the global economy. (And what business, you might ask, isn’t linked indirectly if not directly to the global economy?) However, as Dave Andrews has pointed out, while the LPGA’s problem may reflect flawed leadership, it is not linked to a lack of talent. But as the global economy has turned around, signs of vitality have been reflected in the LPGA Tour: a 38% increase in tournament viewership from the 2011 to the 2012 season. That doesn’t sound like declining popularity to me!

And in the professional athletics business model, what does that 38% increase in tournament viewership mean? It means more sponsor money, higher tournament purses, and more tournaments. These, in turn, attract more talent, a higher level of competition, a better show for the fans. This is the simplified cycle of economic growth that perhaps Craig Schaller will be able to get. He’s dead wrong.

Let’s probe further and see what some rational data mining can turn up in the way of LPGA gold nuggets. In his explanation of his “theory,” Schaller digs a deeper hole. He writes, “Now I have absolutely nothing against the Korean people. I am sure they are a very nice group of folks, and I’m sure Korea is a nice place to visit, especially in springtime. The simple problem is that the LPGA just has too many of them, too many of them are very good, and it is hurting the tour’s popularity.” But according to Annie Belethil, the increase in LPGA tournament viewership is, in fact, driven by the globalization of the Tour.

In LPGA’s Popularity Increasing, Belethil writes: “The LPGA women’s golf league has a large following in Japan. The reason for this is most likely due to the fact that Japan has some of the most popular Japanese players in the league right now, including Ai Miyazato, Momoku Ueda and Mika Miyazato.” Presumably, Inbee Park and Chella Choi have fans in Korea who are adding value to the viewership stats, as are Karrie Webb’s and Sarah Jane Smith’s fans in Australia, as are Lydia Ko’s fans in New Zealand. (Truth be known, I’m an enthusiastic Lydia Ko fan. I think she plays spectacular golf!) Those “gosh darn foreigners” have fans, and those fans translate into economic as well as athletic vitality and growth for the LPGA Tour.

But Schaller isn’t finished with his racist diatribe, and he’s beginning to sound like one of those guys who used to put on white robes and pointy hats and run around after dark trying to scare people who weren’t like them. He explains that he doesn’t have any objections to the European or Latino players in the LPGA Tour. ” Why?” he asks, and then answers. “Because most of them speak English! They also have easily distinguishable names. It’s hard to remember specific golfers when half of them seem to have names that sound like the sound you get when you bang pots and pans together. ” My goodness! Perhaps Craig Schaller would benefit from a quick Berlitz course so he can gain some linguistic proficiency. He might also benefit from some sensitivity training and getting his facts straight. Shanshan Feng (China), whose nickname is Jenny, speaks perfect English as do many if not most of the international LPGA Tour players.

Schaller correctly observes that “I sound culturally racist, but I would be willing to bet that I am not alone. The tour still draws well here because Rochester is still such a golf hot bed, and has such a tradition of support, but I am willing to bet it doesn’t play as well as it used to in middle america.” Where, exactly, is “Middle America”? The LPGA Tour will next play June 21-23 in Rogers, Arkansas. The WalMart NW Arkansas Championship Presented by P&G is sponsored by a major US-based company that is fully invested in the global economy. In the heart of the mythical world of Middle America, near the world headquarters of the tournament sponsor, 130+ professional women golfers (and Lydia Ko, who is still an amateur) will take to the course and compete in an athletic contest that fairly represents the 21st Century Global Village.

Let’s face it. Women’s professional golf, which extends well beyond the LPGA to include the European and Asian and Australian tours, provides the only venue outside the Olympics where women’s athletic talents are showcased and celebrated at an international level. To allow Craig Schaller’s misguided, misinformed, bigoted comments to go unchallenged is just another form of violence against women. Shame on Craig Schaller!