The Women's Sports Foundation Supports Admission of Women to Augusta National Golf Club
Published: September 18, 2002
Augusta National Golf Club, an exclusive men's club which hosts the prestigious Masters Tournament, has not had one female member in its history. The Women's Sports Foundation announced its support for a change in policy at the club.
The National Council of Women's Organizations, of which the Foundation is a member, recently wrote Augusta National and requested that they admit a woman to the 300-member club. It urged the club to admit women before next year's Masters Tournament in April.
"While we fully support the right of "private" clubs to self-determination, as soon as that club engages in staging public events and public commerce, they are no longer a private entity and the privileges of "privacy" should therefore cease,” said Donna Lopiano, Executive Director, Women's Sports Foundation. “Augusta benefits from incredible exposure by hosting the Masters Tournament and becomes a place of public accommodation when it charges for tickets, accepts rights fees from television networks and sponsorship fees from corporations. The media coverage of the event in which the finest golfers in the world participate, brings valuable exposure to the club. The price of such benefits should be non-discrimination. Similarly, since the LPGA and the PGA have policies against playing their sanctioned events at clubs which practice race or gender discrimination, it would be assumed that LPGA and PGA players would not participate in a tournament hosted by a club that does discriminate -- as a matter of principle.”
William Johnson, the chair of the Augusta National Golf Club, responded angrily to the suggestion that the club consider admitting women. "There may well come a day when women will be invited to join our membership." He said. "But that timetable will be ours, and not at the point of a bayonet."
The Augusta National Golf Club maintains that it has no restrictions based on race, gender, religion or national origin. However, the club has fewer than 10 African-American members and no women. Women are able to play at the club as guests of members.
In June, the Foundation's Board of Trustees approved a formal position on the matter of private clubs hosting sports events:
Whereas the Women's Sports Foundation has adopted the following statements of belief:
Sports for males and females should embrace positive values and respect for others;
Equal opportunity, treatment and benefits in sports participation, sports leadership and sport-related careers should be assured;
Sports and sports related careers should include people of every age, color, gender, national origin, physical disability, race, religion and sexual orientation; and
Whereas, the Women's Sports Foundation is strongly opposed to discrimination on the basis of age, color, gender, national origin, physical disability, race, religion and sexual orientation in sport;
Therefore Be It Resolved that the Women's Sports Foundation go on record as calling for athletes, professionals in sports related careers, sports organizations, spectators and sponsors of sports events to adopt strong non-discrimination positions with regard to the sanctioning of or participation in events or programs sponsored or hosted by organizations or facilities whose policies, practices or actions discriminate on the basis of age, color, gender, national origin, physical disability, race, religion or sexual orientation in sport.
Further Be It Resolved that athletes, professionals in sports related careers and members of the general public who are members of sports organizations and clubs that have policies, practices, activities or have demonstrated decision-making which exclude individuals or groups from participating in that organization or club on the basis of age, color, gender, national origin, physical disability, race, religion or sexual orientation in sport, immediately call for a formal review and revision of such policies and practices.