The LPGA Tour has a major marketing and sponsorship problem because many of its top players are either not fluent in English or don't speak it at all. That's why it announced yesterday that it will insist its players speak English to a certain standard or face suspension of their membership. The LPGA informed its tournaments through a notice from the office of Mindy Moore, the LPGA's senior vice-president of professional development and member services. A source provided a copy to The Globe and Mail.
According to the notice, a player must "meet the required level of [English] communication" by the end of her second year of membership, thereby ensuring that "all members communicate with our core audiences — fans, sponsors, media — in English throughout their careers on the LPGA."
Players who joined the Tour in 2008 or earlier will have to meet the standard by the end of 2009.
http://tinyurl.com/6qb2cl
Lo leo y no lo puedo creer. Quién será el asesor de la LPGA?
Del mismo artículo:
"Smacking a two-year time period on golfers to learn English, then, smacks of xenophobia in the extreme. The idea is offensive, and its implementation is sure to generate hostility and anxiety."
Y demandas, por supuesto. No sé si la asociación esté registrada en EE. UU. como club privado pero, si no es así, creo que no se van a hacer esperar las demandas por discriminación.
"I suppose their intention is right," Desrochers continued. "They're trying to help players. But the area is so sensitive. They're saying that unless you speak our language, we won't let you participate in our game."
Si yo fuera jugadora, los boicotearía, aunque hablara inglés.
"The LPGA could lose some tremendous players if it's not careful. Imagine a scenario where a player who can't speak English to LPGA standards wins a major championship in her rookie year. She has two years to learn English or face suspension. She doesn't learn it, and she's suspended. The LPGA says it will provide tutoring and then do another evaluation, but there are no guarantees the lessons will take."
Creo que la reacción será fuerte... vamos a ver qué pasa...