Jan Stephenson Advocates Asian Quotas

[Gordon B]

I don't follow golf enought to know if her comments are warranted but I strongly disagree with her suggestion to institute quotas designed to put a floor on the percentage of American players and limit the percentage of Asian players.


Stephenson: Asians 'killing' LPGA Tour

October 11, 2003


AP - Oct 9, 4:46 pm EDT
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KAHUKU, Hawaii (AP) -- Jan Stephenson, who became the first woman to play on the Champions Tour on Friday, said Asians are ``killing'' the LPGA Tour and their numbers should be limited.

Stephenson, who won 16 tournaments, including three majors, during her LPGA career, had an 8-over 80 in the opening round of the Turtle Bay Championship, 12 strokes behind leaders Hale Irwin, Dana Quigley and Rex Caldwell.

Her comments appear in an article in the November edition of ``Golf Magazine,'' due out Tuesday.

``This is probably going to get me in trouble, but the Asians are killing our tour. Absolutely killing it,'' she told the magazine. ``Their lack of emotion, their refusal to speak English when they can speak English. They rarely speak.

``We have two-day pro-ams where people are paying a lot of money to play with us, and they say, 'Hello and goodbye.' Our tour is predominantly international and the majority of them are Asian. They've taken it over.''

Four of the top nine players on the LPGA money list this year are of Asian descent including Se Ri Pak, Grace Park, Hee-Won Han and Candie Kung.

``They're the ones on the leaderboard, and everyone keeps saying to me, 'Who are they?''' Stephenson said Friday. ``It's the LPGA's responsibility to market them, but if these girls won't be marketed, what are you going to do?''

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Stephenson said her remarks weren't racially motivated, adding her business partners are Asian.

She said she was annoyed that high-profile golfers were not putting the extra time into promoting women's golf that she did when she was younger.

``I cited these girls not because they're Asian but because they're the top players,'' Stephenson said.

``If I were commissioner, I would have a quota on international players and that would include a quota on Asian players,'' Stephenson told the magazine. ``As it is, they're taking American money. American sponsors are picking up the bill. There should be a qualifying school for Americans and a qualifying school for international players. I'm Australian, an international player, but I say America has to come first. Sixty percent of the tour should be American, 40 percent international.''

South Korean native Grace Park, playing in the Samsung World Championships in The Woodlands, Texas, took exception to the comments.

``She has her own opinion. I just don't like the fact she picked on Asians and I'm Asian,'' Park said. ``She should come and play with me. I have great emotions. She made her points and if that's how she feels, well. ... Everybody has their own opinions and Jan stated her own and that's what was published.''

Pak said she doesn't think Stephenson meant what she said.

``There are a lot of talented players coming from all different kinds of countries,'' Pak said. ``The LPGA is getting better. I think it's a better thing for the LPGA.''


AP - Oct 9, 4:34 pm EDT
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Stephenson, 51, the LPGA's original glamour girl, said the women's tour needs a little sex appeal to help market the sport, just like the PGA Tour did with Tiger Woods.

``We have to promote sex appeal. It's a fact of life. The people who watch are predominantly male, and they won't keep watching if the girls aren't beautiful,'' she told the magazine. ``That's not just the LPGA Tour, either. In Australia the highest-rated television event is the women's surf championship. Why is that?

``Everyone wants to skirt it, but it's true. You have Tiger and Phil and Adam Scott and Aaron Baddeley. They are gorgeous. Their clothes are beautiful; everything about them is exciting. So we have to catch up.

``The women are not the best players -- the men are. The women are not the best athletes -- the men are. Whether we like it or not, we have to promote sex, because sex sells. I think you have to shock.''

South African Bobby Lincoln, who shot a 71 in the opening round of the Turtle Bay event, said he experienced what Stephenson described about the Asian women with male players on the Asian Tour.

``I agree with her,'' he said. ``It's a funny tour because the players play the round and off they go. No one ever goes to a function. No one talks even though they can speak a bit of English.

``She's quite right, off they go and they don't care too much.''

[Pete C]

Originally posted by Gordon B

Stephenson said her remarks weren't racially motivated,

OK, if she says so...

[Uli]

Originally posted by Pete C
OK, if she says so...

I think if she really did not mean it, then she should have sed that they should have quotas for those who don't blabber like me.

[mke]

"Their lack of emotion,"

What does this mean?

"We have two-day pro-ams where people are paying a lot of money to play with us, and they say, 'Hello and goodbye.'"

I guess people will eventually choose not to pay to play with them, if they are not happy about the service they are receiving.

"Our tour is predominantly international and the majority of them are Asian. They've taken it over."

You could say that she is simply stating facts, but in context and the way it is phrased, it sounds very xenophobic. Like they've somehow stolen it, rather than proven they're extremely good.

"If I were commissioner, I would have a quota on international players and that would include a quota on Asian players"

In team sports in Europe, there are nationality-based discriminatory practices (eg. you can only hire X non-EU nationals), which has some good and some bad, but in an individual sport, similar quotas seem ludicrous. Should there be quotas in tennis, too?

[tippy]

Golf is getting to be like gumbo.

[Tanager]

MKE, I think quotas on any individual sport with a worldwide tour/fanbase/following is self-destructive. I think quotas for the reasons that Jan Stephenson cites are idiotic and bigoted.

They don't talk enough? Gimme a f*cking break.

[mke]

Originally posted by tippy
Golf is getting to be like gumbo.

Golfbo. I like it.

[mke]

Originally posted by Tanager
MKE, I think quotas on any individual sport with a worldwide tour/fanbase/following is self-destructive. I think quotas for the reasons that Jan Stephenson cites are idiotic and bigoted.

They don't talk enough? Gimme a f*cking break.

I know, it's ridiculous. I'm sure the LPGA is quite happy and looking to expand its Asian fanbase. It'd be interesting to see how these players act on their respective home turfs.

[Pete C]

Imagine if someone said that the dominance of African-American athletes in team sports would jeopardize the white American fan base?

[mke]

Originally posted by Pete C
Imagine if someone said that the dominance of African-American athletes in team sports would jeopardize the white American fan base?

What would really be bad was if they made a board game about it.

[moneyp]

She advocates a quota on all international players, which would have included herself (she's an Aussie), with seperate qualifying schools for American and international players. Of course, whether international players comprised 60% of the tour or 40%, there would still be a lot of Asians on top of the list, so her idea of the problem would still exist. She doesn't apparently have a problem with media relations and British, French or Australian women, yet the rule would limit their participation as well.

Just out of curiosity, anyone have any idea of what the tour makeup is in regards to Americans vs. international players?

[Tom Storer]

Originally posted by Gordon B
Her comments appear in an article in the November edition of ``Golf Magazine,'' due out Tuesday.

``This is probably going to get me in trouble, but

No doubt a prescient comment.

To paraphrase: "There are too many of these inscrutable Orientals hanging around taking LPGA money, so we should do something to make sure there are always more of us than of them. Oh, but it has nothing to do with nationality, or race, or anything like that. It's the inscrutable part that's a problem, and of course they're inscrutable because they're Oriental. And let's face it, they're not sexy, either. Us girls aren't as good as the boys are, so we have to wear nice clothes and be sexy, and those frigid Asians - what a turn-off!"

We'll need heavy machinery to get that woman's foot out of her mouth.

[Captain Hate]

Well, I guess when your career as the Anna Pornikovna of the LPGA is over, falling back on your IQ isn't always a good thing.

[RainyDay]

This reminds me of that Uncle Tom Ward Connerly's attempts to eliminate affirmative action at UC Berkeley. Admissions staff at UC have said that if only students with the top scores and grades were accepted, the entire freshman class would be Asian--for the forseeable future. But ye gads, don't let a Latino or black student in with lower scores and grades. Only white kids have the priviliege of getting in with lower scores and grades (1) without the stigma and (2) without the lawsuits.

[RainyDay]

It also reminds me of US foot races that have either successfully or have attempted to restrict entrants from other countries because Kenyans and Mexicans have been kicking everbody's butts, setting records, and walking away with the prizes.

I can imagine how Asians might not be talkative around Ms. Stephenson. I wouldn't have much to say to her myself.

[Tom Storer]

Originally posted by RainyDay
I can imagine how Asians might not be talkative around Ms. Stephenson. I wouldn't have much to say to her myself.

Excellent comment! Golfers who are not complete assholes, as Ms. Stephenson gives every indication of being, probably have friendlier relations with the same people whom she sees as standoffish icicles.

[Gordon B]

Originally posted by Captain Hate
Well, I guess when your career as the Anna Pornikovna of the LPGA is over, falling back on your IQ isn't always a good thing.

Are you making a prediction about Anna Kournikova's career after tennis?

[Tanager]

Originally posted by Gordon B
Are you making a prediction about Anna Kournikova's career after tennis?

Nothing to predict, since for all practical purposes, that has already begun.

[Tanager]

Originally posted by RainyDay
[B][COLOR=teal]It also reminds me of US foot races that have either successfully or have attempted to restrict entrants from other countries because Kenyans and Mexicans have been kicking everbody's butts, setting records, and walking away with the prizes.

I wasn't aware that the road-racing organizations were still enmeshed in that - I thought they'd long ago accepted the dominance of the East Africans as a fait accompli. Myself, I don't give a shit where you come from, if you're that damned good, I'll cheer for you. Excellence is awe-inspiring regardless of the flag being flown, IMHO.

[Douglas]

Originally posted by Tanager
Myself, I don't give a shit where you come from, if you're that damned good, I'll cheer for you. Excellence is awe-inspiring regardless of the flag being flown, IMHO.

You are certainly not alone. The crowd in Paris was prepared to get behind anyone at the recent world championships. And Yes, when you see excellence it really is awe inspiring.

Anyway given that this little piece of fecal matter hits the stands in the middle of the Sumsung World Championships, I hope Pak wins.

[Captain Hate]

Originally posted by Tanager
Nothing to predict, since for all practical purposes, that has already begun.

Absolutely; her next career move should be "Mixed Doubles with Jenna Jameson". Talk about awe inspiring excellence.