"There is more stupidity than hydrogen in the universe, and it has a longer shelf life." -- Frank Zappa All links in orange open in tastefully small new windows. |
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5-22-2003 It's a legitimate question, but it's also a case of how you can't get the right answer by asking the wrong question. There are basic double standards in the world as we know it -- that an all-white school is wrong but predominately black colleges are okay, that all kinds of things can be limited to women-only, but anything male-only is discriminatory. These double standards are not new; Emerson wrote of "consistency being the hobgoblin of small minds" more than a century ago. As much as we want the world to be clear between right and wrong, good and bad, black and white, it is not now nor has it ever been. Thou shall not kill may have been a commandment for 2,000 years, but war and self-defense have been exceptions for 2,000 years. Freedom of speech has been an American standard for 200 years, but for nearly one hundred years you haven't had the right to cry "Fire!" in a crowded theatre. Sorenstam's participation in the Bank of America Colonial Tournament is an illustration of subservient rights versus equal rights. If that sounds high-faluting and philosophical, here's a simple example -- subservient versus equal is at the heart of the abortion debate (the notion that the rights of the mother trump the rights of the fetus). In a country that pulls for the underdog, in a country that's built on being all that you can be, the societal norm said Annika Sorenstam deserved -- and got -- the right to try and compete at a higher level. Too bad it made for messy ethical questions; it made a great story. Once you cut through the clutter and the spin, what Sorenstam actually showed on her first day was just how damn good the PGA golfers are. She had 10 holes played while under par, and 15 pars total. She had one birdie, two bogeys, finished one-over on the day -- and she tied for 73rd. Here's another way to look at it. This week's PGA course is 1,018 yards longer than the one being played on the women's side (7,080 to 6,062). Even more damning is that the shorter LPGA course has a higher par (72 to 70). Sorenstam, in terms of driving length, is the Tiger Woods of the LPGA, consistently outblasting her rivals. And according to the AP, she averaged 248 yards per drive on Thursday. She hit 13 of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens. Those are quality golf numbers, and it put her in a tie for 73rd. Sorenstam got to show she wouldn't be an embarrassment, and the men got to set the definition of quality golf. The biggest groan heard on the bogey 18th wasn't from Sorenstam fans but from network executives. This tournament will get ridiculously high ratings if she makes the cut and gets to play this weekend. Until that bogey, she was in good shape -- tied at 30-something. Now, tied for 73rd, making the cut is far more dicey. There are 113 players in the field. Tied for 73rd and praying to make the cut is the lament of most PGA newcomers. The fact that Sorenstam is a woman may drive the media attention, but numbers drive the golf leader boards, and the numbers put her in a big class of people -- folks who are damn good golfers, yet not good enough to be among the best in the world. Now I suspect few of these PGA pros would play her for money while letting her hit from the ladies' tee, and that's the ultimate moral of this story. She didn't ask for a special advantage, some affirmative action to make up for past imbalances. She lined up with the men and took a whack at it. And she tied for 73rd. -30- |
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Mr. Marshall figures his left arm, which has what's known as a gunstock deformity from an elbow broken at age 6, has saved him thousands of dollars in greens fees. |