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http://www.nypost.com/sports/19165.htm
July 17, 2002 -- GULLANE, Scotland - Tiger Woods, who champions himself as a man vehemently against exclusionary policies for reasons of race or anything else, should be ashamed at the gutless straddle-the-fence answer he delivered yesterday to a question about women not being allowed as members of Augusta National.
"[Augusta National is] entitled to set up their own rules the way they want them," said Woods, whose early existence in golf was all about opening doors to those like himself who were excluded because of prejudice, emphasized by his first Nike TV commercial that blared against his exclusion from certain golf clubs because of the color of his skin.
"That's the way they want to set it up," Woods said. "It's their prerogative to set it up that way. It would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance to participate if they wanted to, but there is nothing you can do about it. . . . It's just the way it is."
Just the way it is?
When there was slavery, was that just the way it was?
Woods' stature in the game, as not only the best player in the world but probably the most recognized man on the planet, is such that he can make a difference if he wants to, much the way his father, Earl, predicted he would several years ago.
Yet Woods, intensely protective and careful about his image, constantly refuses to take public stands on any issues.
Coke or Pepsi? McDonald's or Burger King? He'd find a way to straddle the fence . . . unless, of course, one was a sponsor paying him millions of dollars.
In almost all cases, Woods' avoidance to take a side on issues is understandable because he's such a significant lightning rod and he'd spend half of his life putting out brush fires.
But in this case, his comments yesterday - condoning the exclusion of women (and anyone else, for that matter) from private clubs - are deplorable and utterly hypocritical based on the man he sells to the public.
"I find it shocking and appalling that somebody who has brought so much stature to the game of golf is basically saying it's all right to discriminate against humans," said Charles Farrell, the director of Rainbow Sports, a division of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Wall Street Project for expanded opportunities for minorities (including women) in the sports industry.
"When he first turned pro, his whole TV [commercial] campaign was about the places that wouldn't let him play because of race. That was very dramatic and very effective, and there were some clubs that had excluded blacks that opened doors to blacks because of the pressure that came from [Woods'] comments.
"To condone discriminating against women I think plays right into the hands of those who would want things back the way they were before 1954," continued Farrell, speaking by phone from Manhattan. "Tiger Woods has brought such enormity to the game of golf that his comments to the negative side of this sets us back 20 to 30 years. It's very disappointing to see a person of color represent that kind of thinking."
Farrell said he was certain that if Woods took a stand and even threatened to pull out of a tournament played at a club where women were excluded, those clubs would open to women members in a hurry.
Woods, a three-time Masters winner at Augusta, was asked if, with his stature in the game, he can force a change.
"I've done my part so far trying to get more kids who haven't been able to have access to the game; that's what my foundation is about," he said.
Countered Farrell: "I see a lot of those kids at his [Tiger Woods Foundation] clinics are young girls. What kind of message is he sending to those young girls who are coming up and saying, ‘I want to be like Tiger?' To condemn them to a second-class golf citizenship I think is absurd. It's very sad."
Woods, who is of African-American and Asian descent, was asked if he feels the same way if this discrimination of women also applies to African-Americans and Asians.
"Yes I do," he said.
It's scary that the most influential person in sports - and well beyond - has allowed himself to acquiesce to such nonsense.
___________________________________________________
So it seems Mr. Woods is dropping his race card playing ways when the tide suits him. Good for you Tigger, glad to see you can rise above “your own” and be as hypocritical as the rest of us.
July 17, 2002 -- GULLANE, Scotland - Tiger Woods, who champions himself as a man vehemently against exclusionary policies for reasons of race or anything else, should be ashamed at the gutless straddle-the-fence answer he delivered yesterday to a question about women not being allowed as members of Augusta National.
"[Augusta National is] entitled to set up their own rules the way they want them," said Woods, whose early existence in golf was all about opening doors to those like himself who were excluded because of prejudice, emphasized by his first Nike TV commercial that blared against his exclusion from certain golf clubs because of the color of his skin.
"That's the way they want to set it up," Woods said. "It's their prerogative to set it up that way. It would be nice to see everyone have an equal chance to participate if they wanted to, but there is nothing you can do about it. . . . It's just the way it is."
Just the way it is?
When there was slavery, was that just the way it was?
Woods' stature in the game, as not only the best player in the world but probably the most recognized man on the planet, is such that he can make a difference if he wants to, much the way his father, Earl, predicted he would several years ago.
Yet Woods, intensely protective and careful about his image, constantly refuses to take public stands on any issues.
Coke or Pepsi? McDonald's or Burger King? He'd find a way to straddle the fence . . . unless, of course, one was a sponsor paying him millions of dollars.
In almost all cases, Woods' avoidance to take a side on issues is understandable because he's such a significant lightning rod and he'd spend half of his life putting out brush fires.
But in this case, his comments yesterday - condoning the exclusion of women (and anyone else, for that matter) from private clubs - are deplorable and utterly hypocritical based on the man he sells to the public.
"I find it shocking and appalling that somebody who has brought so much stature to the game of golf is basically saying it's all right to discriminate against humans," said Charles Farrell, the director of Rainbow Sports, a division of Jesse Jackson's Rainbow Push Wall Street Project for expanded opportunities for minorities (including women) in the sports industry.
"When he first turned pro, his whole TV [commercial] campaign was about the places that wouldn't let him play because of race. That was very dramatic and very effective, and there were some clubs that had excluded blacks that opened doors to blacks because of the pressure that came from [Woods'] comments.
"To condone discriminating against women I think plays right into the hands of those who would want things back the way they were before 1954," continued Farrell, speaking by phone from Manhattan. "Tiger Woods has brought such enormity to the game of golf that his comments to the negative side of this sets us back 20 to 30 years. It's very disappointing to see a person of color represent that kind of thinking."
Farrell said he was certain that if Woods took a stand and even threatened to pull out of a tournament played at a club where women were excluded, those clubs would open to women members in a hurry.
Woods, a three-time Masters winner at Augusta, was asked if, with his stature in the game, he can force a change.
"I've done my part so far trying to get more kids who haven't been able to have access to the game; that's what my foundation is about," he said.
Countered Farrell: "I see a lot of those kids at his [Tiger Woods Foundation] clinics are young girls. What kind of message is he sending to those young girls who are coming up and saying, ‘I want to be like Tiger?' To condemn them to a second-class golf citizenship I think is absurd. It's very sad."
Woods, who is of African-American and Asian descent, was asked if he feels the same way if this discrimination of women also applies to African-Americans and Asians.
"Yes I do," he said.
It's scary that the most influential person in sports - and well beyond - has allowed himself to acquiesce to such nonsense.
___________________________________________________
So it seems Mr. Woods is dropping his race card playing ways when the tide suits him. Good for you Tigger, glad to see you can rise above “your own” and be as hypocritical as the rest of us.
