It’s a bit old, but the New Jersey Star-Ledger took a look at the impact Asian women — and Korean women in particular — are having on the LGPA tour:
Starting Thursday, golfers from 21 countries, including the United States and Puerto Rico, teed it up for the first three rounds of the 64th U.S. Women’s Open in Bethlehem, Pa. Eight of the top 16 players going into Sunday’s final round were Korean.
However, the influx of Asian players on the women’s tour has not been greeted with universal approval. While American athletes are usually lauded for their work ethic, familial devotion and the self-sacrificing support of their parents, the Korean pros have sometimes come under withering criticism for those same attributes.
“Asians are killing our tour — their lack of emotion, their refusal to speak English,” LPGA veteran Jan Stephenson infamously said 5 1/2 years ago.
Both charges, say Asian players as well as many of their American and foreign colleagues, are unfair.
It certainly would have been hard to level them at the 30 Korean players who showed up at the Ronald McDonald House just outside Toledo, Ohio, a few days after the golfers met to discuss charity work.
Il Mi Chung and Inbee Park, last week’s defending U.S. Women’s Open champion, helped clean the 14-bedroom house, which is used by families of cancer-stricken children undergoing medical treatment; Birdie Kim and Meena Lee did yard work; and Jeong Jang brought her own homemade brownies.
Still, there are people citing the heavy Korean presence as a factor in the LPGA’s recent woes. See, for instance sports columnist Don Hunsberger, who cited poor English skills, hard-to-pronounce names and Korean dads hindering assimilation.
{ 41 comments… read them below or add one }
Maaaaan, what the fuck. Hey Colontos, this daily commercial paper is from your state. This piece of shit of an article doesn’t reflect too well on your peoples, my friend. Notice how the paper from my state — the star ledger — was MUCH more diversity friendly in its reporting? Why thank you very much.
I thought you were a Korean flag-waver.
The real reason is envy and fear. It also hurts that the K-girls won’t eat pussy.
If the best players are winning every event and yet the tour is losing money, how is that the player’s fault? (no matter what nationality)
Let the Korean golfers “Kill” the LPGA tour.
Who’d miss it anyway?
I just watched the first 10 minutes of Falling Down starring Michael Douglas. I think the opening scene with the Korean store owner captures the LPGA problem nicely. Goes something like this
M Douglas: Can you give me change for this dollar?
K grocer: No chain. You hav to bah somesing
M Douglas: How much for this soda?
K grocer: Eigh fah sense
M Douglas: What?? That doesn’t give me enough change to make a phone call, why don’t I give you 50 cents, and you give me 50 cents back?
K grocer: Eigh fah sense! Eigh Fah sense!
M Douglas: There’s a V in five, don’t they have Vs in China?
K grover: not Chinesuh, Koreahn
M Douglas: (pissed off, about to leave) Ah whatever, you come to MY country and don’t even have the grace to learn MY language?
…
Then MD goes on a spiel about how much money America is giving to Korea.
I think I’m liking this movie. Check it out.
Name the top 25 female (heck, and male, too) golfers…Yup, who really cares? I know I don’t.
Overall a nice article about a little-known subject but a familiar reassuring story – the inclusiveness of US society and the desire of the Korean golfers to become American.
While it’s not hard to sympathize with the financial concerns of the LPGA, you’ve gotta question the sportsmanship in prioritizing sponsors over the players. Sure the players could go ahead and work on their English and it would be a win for the Tour not to mention the players themselves. The (American) fans becoming disgruntled by the lack of American star power, that is something I can understand. How many of the Koreans who watch LPGA (or PGA for that matter) coverage do you think would watch it if not for the Korean players? But for the organization itself to try and institute policies that cater to its sponsors and not the sport—maybe it’s naive to expect otherwise.
I personally don’t care too much for the sport, so meh.
Personally, I find the article’s expectation that the Korean GOLFERS should be assimilated into American culture and lifestyles at best confounding and at worst offensive. I’d be surprised if anyone facing similar attitudes from the Koreans they live amongst didn’t feel the same way.
(That said, I’m not saying it would be right for anyone to refuse to accustom themselves with the cultural—and especially linguistic—expectations of those they spend much of their time with. I just say give them a chance: Don’t expect everyone joining the tour to be an America-friendly media darling in an Asian body.)
Didn’t the article say an ethnic Korean was the answer to the LPGA’s problems? WTF?
Yeah, and I suppose Europeans bothered to learn First People’s languages before slaughtering them en masse in the millions? Maybe the ‘problem’ the LPGA actually has to do with racists and their ignorance about history.
Oh, what the hell. Add the Korean guys to the LPGA tour too. That ought to attract Korean corporate sponsorship to pay the bills.
#1
If that’s a valid criterion, then it would eliminate a lot of PGA players, Korean or no. In 2009, only 13 men have an average driving distance of 300+ yards. The shortest player is Brian Kortan, at 5’3″, and he averages 283 yards. KJ Choi, at 5’8″, averages 280. The PGA Tour average is 286.
I mean, clearly, if 59 year old self described “old geezer” Tom Watson is contending for Major titles, driving distance isn’t anywhere close to being the all-important factor. Dickface went rummaging through his half a brain to come up with a reason and found OH THATS RIGHT Asian man small! Hah hah hah, asshole.
If adding skinny (and attractive at varying levels) Asian women can’t save the BORING sport of women’s golf… it’s already dead.
If adding skinny (and attractive at varying levels) Asian women can’t save the BORING sport of women’s golf… it’s already dead.
Yeah, one would think that old white guys with yellow fever, of which there is no shortage I’m sure, golf, and Korean LPGA ladies would be a winning combination. I must say I’m a bit puzzled myself.
“Yeah, one would think that old white guys with yellow fever…I must say I’m a bit puzzled myself.”
Carlos is obviously Canadian and in the midst of toking on some pretty good chronic. Just pass it, don’t bogart it.
#16,
BC bud, baby.
I for one wouldn’t miss the lack of an LPGA, but then I feel the same way about the PGA, so at least I’m not sexist, right?
The LPGA’s target audience is mostly white women – am I wrong about that? I see their points about pleasing their audience, but the outgoing (gone?) LPGA president has been a trainwreck.
I don’t know why everyone’s ragging on the LPGA. Paula Creamer’s a hottie.
http://www.tshot.it/wp-galleryo/paula-creamer/paula_creamer.jpg
http://bp2.blogger.com/_eo2Equ6rnIk/SI029ZySx4I/AAAAAAAAB9Q/DK2PBWCSQOA/s1600-h/paulacreamer5.jpg
NK,
I just am in awe of your first pic- she’s got a tummy worthy of eating vanilla ice cream from, but I guess that’s sexist, isn’t it?
@NK
Damn those perverse Chosun Ilbo photographers! Their Korean tentacles stretch all the way State side, I see. I hope they’re arrested and flogged.
#19
Cactus, I have a good eye and a keen sense of aesthetic for these manner of things. I believe I would have made a fine Chosun Ilbo photographer.
Hey, I can’t be held responsible for shit that goes on in LEESBURG, man. I’ve never even been there.
Does he? I think that character is supposed to be Chinese, but the actor is Korean. Maybe I’m remembering wrong.
The commission of the latter removed the need for the former. And who the fuck are “First People,” anyway? Neanderthals? Go back to Brown.
And Mizar STILL hasn’t got the blockquotes down. I thought you were supposed to be smart.
Quotas. As long as there are quotas on how many American athletes can play on Korean pro teams, where salaries are quite high, the LPGA has the right to put quotas on the number of Korean LPGA golfers who may have a negative impact on the tour.
Of course, America won’t do it because we put ability over race in sports. Go Miguk.
And while Korean LPGA golfers are making the big dollar on the tour, it’s a bit much to hear about their one whole, long, selfless day cleaning a house. La dee Freaking da. It’s kinda like hearing about how great American pro jocks are because they go hang around with some ordinary kids 1 day a year.
This is a repeat topic, covered here about a year ago. If I recall correctly, and I usually do, ihbb explained more of the business end of why non-English speaking Koreans are bad for the sport.
And PineForest is on to something here… 2 foreigners per KBO team, 2 foreigners per Korean basketball team + a collective height limitation. Can you imagine the LPGA putting a body-size limit on the Korean LPGA players?
But the main thing is, the LPGA is a business, and must make money to survive. The strong Korean presence, for several reasons, has hindered the LPGA’s survival prospects.
…not that I care.
People are alluding to the whole “yellow fever” thing so I was wondering if anyone had ever seen this report in the NY Times on a study on dating patterns:
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/single-female-seeking-same-race-male/
Some main points from the piece:
“There’s also a clear gender divide, as the researchers note: “Women of all races exhibit strong same race preferences, while men of no race exhibit a statistically significant same race preference.””
“African-American women said yes about 30 percent less often to Hispanic men; about 45 percent less often to white men; about 65 percent less often to Asian men.
White women said yes about 30 percent less often to black or Hispanic men, and about 65 percent less often to Asian men.
Hispanic women said yes about 20 percent less often to black or white men, and 50 percent less often to Asian men.
Asian women didn’t discriminate much by race (except for showing a very slight preference for Asian men over black or Hispanic men). ”
“For equal success with an African-American woman, a Hispanic man needs to earn an extra $184,000; a white man needs to earn an additional $220,000.
For equal success with a white woman, an African-American needs to earn an additional $154,000; a Hispanic man needs $77,000; an Asian needs $247,000.
For equal success with a Hispanic woman, an African-American man needs to earn an additional $30,000; a white man needs to earn an additional $59,000.
For equal success with an Asian woman, an African-American needs no additional income; a white man needs $24,000 less than average; a Hispanic man needs $28,000 more than average.”
So according to this study at least, the patterns of interracial dating we observe largely depend on females’ race preferences rather than males’ race preferences. This gender difference isn’t too surprising especially if you’re a guy, as self reflection and talking with your buddies is enough to reach the conclusion that guys will tend to date or at least bang any attractive thing that moves (or doesn’t). This study contradicts to a degree the “yellow fever” theory, which seeks to explain the imbalance in Asian/other dating patterns by attributing an extra or abnormal desire or attraction on the part of non-Asian males for Asian females. What this study suggests is that it’s Asian females’ preferences, rather than non-Asian males’ preferences, that largely drive the imbalance.
This issue is hardly settled of course, as social “science” questions hardly ever are, and I imagine that skeptics will dismiss the study or employ some sort of cultural or social explanation for the imbalance, i.e. the American media portrays Asian males in such and such a way, therefore females in general, including Asian females, get these perceptions, etc. But it’s an interesting data point nonetheless.
Golf is a business plain and simple, would you hire customer service agents at your business that can’t talk to customers?
Look at Korean pro sports, all teams have a quota of foreigners allowed on their team.
For that matter look at job postings they all have language requirements, if you don’t meet those requirements to bad. It’s not about being a racists since all jobs have language requirements, it’s about their business surviving, and in order to do that their employees need to speak English.
“If that’s a valid criterion, then it would eliminate a lot of PGA players, Korean or no. In 2009, only 13 men have an average driving distance of 300+ yards. The shortest player is Brian Kortan, at 5′3″, and he averages 283 yards. KJ Choi, at 5′8″, averages 280. The PGA Tour average is 286.”
Good point.
Besides, if a player hits the ball 250 yards, but the hole is 425 away…He’d still have to take a second shot just to put it on the green if he had hit it 300.
It’s not as if the players have to go for a hole-in-one every time in order to win because the hole is always 310 yards away.
Nouveau-riche…that’s all I have left to say about that.
Disagree on some points. The Korean leagues can be seen as a developmental league for the players (with many wishing to move on to bigger and better things) where the LPGA tour is the end game. I can see and understand developmental leagues using a quota system. Even the EPL is thinking about using a 6+5 rule for its’ teams – which the EU is basically freaking out about. Even though the Premier League is definitely one of the best in the world, the FA is looking at it as a developmental league for the national team.
Mind you, both of these comparisons are not really valid in that the teams pay the players by contract for their services. The LPGA is simply a club that arranges tournaments for the members of the club. There is no contractual arrangement between the club and the players (in regards to money). With that said, it is a private club and they can pretty much do whatever the hell they want in regards to membership requirements as long as it is within the law.
It looks like from the article that the girls are finally opening up. Betcha daddy hates that.
@mkaplan – interesting contribution. I knew you were only posing as a bore.
Yup, that mkaplan post #26 should be saved in some kind of MH all-star archive, to be repeatedly referred-back to!
Eggman:
What are the language requirements for non-Korean athletes on Korean pro teams?
kpmsprtd said:
What are the language requirements for non-Korean athletes on Korean pro teams?
Don’t remember saying there were any language requirements?
The viewers of the LPGA should be interested in watching the best, most talented women golfers in the world – period. If they’re not, some other league somewhere will be interested in attracting those golfers, and the LPGA can become a developmental league for pretty rich white girls.
A hate listening to narrow minded racists like Hunsberger – regardless of where they happen to be. Hey Hunsberger, why don’t YOU try to learn a foreign language or understand a different culture. There ought to be new program implemented to reduce the number of narrow minded Hunsbergers of the world. Overseas education in country’s with vastly different cultures should be made mandatory for all students in OECD nations.
People are constantly bringing up this notion that these Korean women on the LPGA can’t speak English. Just a few points…
How the hell does anyone know if they can speak English or not?? It’s not exactly a sport where you have to do a lot of speaking.
Secondly, I would venture to say the majority of these Korean players have spent many of their teen years playing in the States and they speak English just fine.
Thirdly, I would be willing to bet that some of them can speak English well enough to be understood well, but still choose to do interviews with an interpreter because they feel embarrassed about not speaking perfect English. I have no idea how well (or poorly) Ji Eun Hee speaks English. But you saw her talking to her caddy (a caucasian man who presumably doesn’t speak Korean) all day during the tournament she just won recently. But then she did the victory speak with an interpreter.
To the Korean media I say: stop printing ridiculous triumphalist wishful thinking stories about how startled the Americans are by Korean talent. They aren’t, they don’t even know or care about the nationality of these women.
To the LPGA I say: I don’t see the issue. Nobody has ever really cared about nationality in woman’s golf, or golf generally. I mean it’s not the friggin Olympics, is it? It’s an individual sport, and regardless of that ridiculous discussion that happened last year and was quickly quashed, nationality has never been an issue. And it’s not as if LPGA golfers get big endorsements anyway, do they?
Big endorsements? Define “big”. $100k? A million?
Michelle Wie has done quite well for winning nothing. But those who have buzz in the entertainment world tend to get great sponsorship deals . Anna Kournikova for instance.
Maybe the Korean girls are satisfied w/ just plugging brands at home.
I’m no expert on the endorsement thing but these women had special image qualities – they were the wholesome “all American” type that typically wins the endorsements: Michelle Wie was young, wholesome and precocious, Anna was attractive. Naturally, the sponsors are likely to be aware that the Korean competitors don’t have nearly the same appeal.
When it comes to golf and endorsements, there is very, very little room at the top. Outside of Tiger – who on the men’s tour really cleans up in the endorsement department? You’ve got Tiger and Phil (who is a distant second).
And on the women’s tour ~ you’ve got Michelle and Lorena, with Paula a distant third.
Once you get beyond the first one or two – the difference in endorsement earnings drops off precipitously.
I think Guitard has nailed it. We are talking a very small pool here of endorsable players to begin with. Add to this that a lot of these (very talented) Korean golfers are…well…kinda on the chunky side, and the opportunities for endorsements shrink even further. I’m just saying….
DLB
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