(NAME-MCE) LPGA backs down from English language policy

[Bill Howe]

LPGA backs down from English language policy Circuit wanted to suspend
players for not speaking langage well enough
 The Associated Press
updated 12:37 p.m. ET, Fri., Sept. 5, 2008

Under increasing criticism, the LPGA Tour on Friday backed off a proposed
policy that would have suspended players who could not efficiently speak
English.

LPGA Tour commissioner Carolyn Bivens said she would announce a revised plan
by the end of the year, although it would not include penalties.

Bivens disclosed the tour's original plan in a meeting with South Korean
players at the Safeway Classic in Portland, Ore., two weeks ago, which was
reported by Golfweek magazine. The policy, which had not been completed, was
widely criticized as discriminatory, particularly against Asian players, who
won three majors this year.

"We have decided to rescind those penalty provisions," Bivens said in a
statement. "After hearing the concerns, we believe there are other ways to
achieve our shared objective of supporting and enhancing the business
opportunities for every tour player."

The announcement came two hours before the Asian Pacific American Legal
Center planned a news conference in Los Angeles, where it was to be joined
by civil rights groups and elected officials demanding the LPGA overturn its
policy.

A California state senator was seeking a legal opinion to determine whether
the tour's language requirement for players violated state or federal law.
Leland Yee, a Democrat for San Francisco, hoped for an answer before the
LPGA Tour returned to California in October for the Samsung World
Championship.

And one of the tour's title sponsor, State Farm, said it was "dumbfounded"
by the initiative..

"We don't understand this and we don't know why they have done it," State
Farm spokesman Kip Diggs told Advertising Age on its Web site. "And we have
strongly encouraged them to take another look at this."

Bivens said the tour will continue to help international players through a
cultural program that has been in place for three years and offers tutors
and translators.

-- 
Bill Howe
Asian Pacific American Coalition (APAC) - http://apaact.com/

13th Annual New England Conference on Multicultural Education (NECME)
October 8, 2008, Connecticut Convention Center - Hartford, Connecticut
http://www.necme.org