From the Sidelines: It's a man's game and that's that
By
Alaa Abdel-Ghani
One of the biggest sports stories of the just- concluded year had nothing to do with athleticism but with sexism: the debate over the refusal of the Augusta National Golf Club to admit women members.
It is unclear why after 71 years of admitting only men, did Augusta's policy suddenly become news in 2002. Its position was challenged in July by Martha Burk, the leader of the National Council of Women's Organisations, which took Augusta National and its chairman, Hootie Johnson, to the woodshed over its all-male status. Then came Johnson's open letter to Burk that Augusta National would one day admit a woman, but not "at the point of a bayonet", and certainly not by the next Masters, in April. That vaulted the story from the sports section to the front page of the news section. In the months following, Johnson went mostly silent while Burk appeared on every television network this side of Al-Jazeera.
Some big names sided with Burk. Former CBS chief executive, Thomas Wyman resigned from the club where he had been a member for 25 years, calling Augusta's stand on female members "pigheaded". Wyman's resignation was believed to be the first time a member of the club had quit over the issue.
One of the first things the new US Treasury Secretary John Snow did when he took office last month was not to explain how he would energise the moribund US economy but to resign his membership from Augusta.
The Rev Jesse Jackson plans to organise a protest at Augusta if it doesn't admit a female member before the next Masters. "It's an insult to all that America stands for, and the sponsors should not participate, and members should either change the situation or withdraw," Jackson had said, claiming that Augusta is participating in gender apartheid.
Tiger Woods, the world's No 1 golfer, was forced to get involved after The New York Times suggested that he should boycott April's Masters if the women's issue is not resolved.
Not everybody thinks Augusta is in the wrong. An Associated Press poll conducted in November found Americans evenly split on the issue, with 46 per cent of respondents saying the club has a right to have an all-male membership and the same percentage said a club holding such a prestigious tournament should have female members. The club released results of a survey it commissioned that indicated most people agree Augusta National is a private club that should be allowed to set its own membership policies.
The club does have a constitutional right to associate with whomever it pleases. It is a single- gender club which makes it in good company with sororities and fraternities, Junior League, with Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and private high schools and universities.
Burk has failed to come up with an answer to such institutions and has failed to take them on. Is she really arguing that access to an exclusive golf club is more important to women than access to a first-rate education?
It could be argued that Augusta is not a sorority or a fraternity but a very national, public organisation. The Masters tournament is an important part of America, a great sporting event -- golf's most prestigious tournament and the year's first Major -- and is viewed by 150 million people around the world. It is as much public as it is private.
There is little debate, however, over what Woods should do. An overwhelming majority in the AP poll, 75 per cent, said he should play in the Masters despite the dispute. Woods really should not be expected to boycott the tournament. He is a walking advertisement for diversity -- he's part African-American, American-Indian, Thai, Chinese and Caucasian -- but he's not part girl. Which means the notion is silly that Woods should somehow stand as a women's rights ambassador.
It's also not fair. Woods is the only player being asked to boycott the event and is also being asked to give up an opportunity no one has ever had -- winning the Masters three years in a row.
The debate has predictably gone over the top. Gender discrimination can be just as insidious as discrimination based on race or religion but in this overwrought drama it is hard to feel outraged. Perhaps it's because we live in a time where truly important issues dominate the news. For all the valid points both sides have made throughout this debate, the one thing neither has done is state convincingly why we should feel strongly one way or the other.
The issue is moot. Augusta will probably not admit a female member in our lifetime. It took the club 56 years to finally admit a black member. When taking decisions, the club's 300 men obviously take their sweet time. That their average age is 70 means a decision might never be taken.
