http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553 The LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009. A few years ago, the LPGA came up with a plan to increase the marketability of its players.&nbsp; This is what the tour came up with: LPGA's Five Points of Celebrity &ndash; Appearance, Relevance, Approachability, Joy/Passion, and Performance. Performance is at the end; appearance is at the beginning. This tells you something about the LPGA's priorities. The main reason the LPGA wants its players to speak English is so sponsors can ham it up with the players during Pro-Ams and corporate events. Is the new policy unsportsmanlike and un-American? The LPGA will require players to speak English starting in 2009. A few years ago, the LPGA came up with a plan to increase the marketability of its players.&nbsp; This is what the tour came up with: LPGA's Five Points of Celebrity &ndash; Appearance, Relevance, Approachability, Joy/Passion, and Performance. Performance is at the end; appearance is at the beginning. This tells you something about the LPGA's priorities. The main reason the LPGA wants its players to speak English is so sponsors can ham it up with the players during Pro-Ams and corporate events. Is the new policy unsportsmanlike and un-American? en-us Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:45:10 PDT <p>What a joke ... it might upset me if i cared about golf.&nbsp; So these &quot;sponsors&quot; do not have representatives that speak other languages?</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299579 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299579 <p>What a joke ... it might upset me if i cared about golf.&nbsp; So these &quot;sponsors&quot; do not have representatives that speak other languages?</p> <p>Maybe they should work on some NFL players being able to speak English first.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299589 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299589 <p>Maybe they should work on some NFL players being able to speak English first.</p> <p>fj, not too many sponsors speak Korean, which is who this requirement is directed at. Without the sponsors there would be no tour, and the Koreans - there are 45 of them - really don't add much to the overall appeal of the women's&nbsp;tour, so they would be wise to do as they're instructed to do. The LPGA is an American tour, so the English requirement makes sense, although most Americans wouldn't pay any attention to what product(s) Se Ri Pak or Birdie Kim are endorsing, anyway.</p> <p>Now, Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer are a different story altogether...</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299597 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299597 <p>fj, not too many sponsors speak Korean, which is who this requirement is directed at. Without the sponsors there would be no tour, and the Koreans - there are 45 of them - really don't add much to the overall appeal of the women's&nbsp;tour, so they would be wise to do as they're instructed to do. The LPGA is an American tour, so the English requirement makes sense, although most Americans wouldn't pay any attention to what product(s) Se Ri Pak or Birdie Kim are endorsing, anyway.</p> <p>Now, Natalie Gulbis and Paula Creamer are a different story altogether...</p> <p>If the job requires you to speak a specific language you better do it or move on.  In most of Calif. you can't work in a Dr. office or as a classified school employee without being Bi-lingual.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299674 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_299674 <p>If the job requires you to speak a specific language you better do it or move on.  In most of Calif. you can't work in a Dr. office or as a classified school employee without being Bi-lingual.</p> <p>First of all, I'm all for English first.  I believe that the business language should be English and that goes for all those hispanic business in So Cal also.  If you're going to live and work here, assimilate and accentuate the positives.</p> <p>However, we're talking about sports here.  When I turn on the TV, I want to see the best in their class.  LPGA does not have best player in English language only category.  Granted, the gals should learn to speak English if they are to push their sport into prime time, but making this mandatory is not necessary.  When Tiger is playing in Dubai, I don't see those guys complaining about him not speaking the native language.  Clearly, this is directed at the Korean players by few elitist. </p> <p>Korean players, if you're going to fit in and not be subjected to these prejudice, you need to assimlate (learn the language) or be prepared to be mocked and scrutinized.  Your ability maybe great, but it's the sponsor money, ticket sale and TV viewership that makes your sport what it is today (hence the pay checks). </p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300030 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300030 <p>First of all, I'm all for English first.  I believe that the business language should be English and that goes for all those hispanic business in So Cal also.  If you're going to live and work here, assimilate and accentuate the positives.</p> <p>However, we're talking about sports here.  When I turn on the TV, I want to see the best in their class.  LPGA does not have best player in English language only category.  Granted, the gals should learn to speak English if they are to push their sport into prime time, but making this mandatory is not necessary.  When Tiger is playing in Dubai, I don't see those guys complaining about him not speaking the native language.  Clearly, this is directed at the Korean players by few elitist. </p> <p>Korean players, if you're going to fit in and not be subjected to these prejudice, you need to assimlate (learn the language) or be prepared to be mocked and scrutinized.  Your ability maybe great, but it's the sponsor money, ticket sale and TV viewership that makes your sport what it is today (hence the pay checks). </p> <p>I forgot one more important comment;&nbsp; Natalie Gulbis.&nbsp; Nothing more to say.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300031 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300031 <p>I forgot one more important comment;&nbsp; Natalie Gulbis.&nbsp; Nothing more to say.</p> <p>A photo.</p> <p><img src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YETH1VCRL.jpg" alt="" /></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300097 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300097 <p>A photo.</p> <p><img src="http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YETH1VCRL.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p>Man, you're gonna get us in trouble with the girls...</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300102 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_300102 <p>Man, you're gonna get us in trouble with the girls...</p> <p>One wonders why the LPGA thinks speaking English will improve play since that is what will really make the tour marketable.  Just think if the other tours in other countries required Korean or some African dialect.  No, xenophopic hurdles will not improve play and has the potential to hurt the LPGA in the future.  Let the level of play do the talking........</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_302184 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/talkofthetown/32553/#c_302184 <p>One wonders why the LPGA thinks speaking English will improve play since that is what will really make the tour marketable.  Just think if the other tours in other countries required Korean or some African dialect.  No, xenophopic hurdles will not improve play and has the potential to hurt the LPGA in the future.  Let the level of play do the talking........</p>