“There may come a day when women will be invited to join our membership, but that timetable will be ours and not at the point of a bayonet.” -- William “Hootie” Johnson, Chairman, Augusta National Golf Club
Hootie Johnson will be most remembered for this fiery response to a privately sent July 2002 request sent by Martha Burk, president of the National Council of Women's Organization (NCWO), to admit women members to Augusta National Golf Club. Fireworks have ensued ever since.
The NCWO has spearheaded the Augusta debate. NCWO, consisting of more than 100 women's advocacy, grassroots and research organizations, claims that by holding a very public event such as the Masters and engaging in public commerce, the private club ceases to become “private,” figuratively inviting the world into its living room. In addition, because the event is broadcast on the public airwaves, NCWO asserts that Augusta has, by its own choice, become a de facto public facility. Although the law clearly protects the right of a private club to self-determination, proponents for admitting women in Augusta believe there is a moral obligation to abide by the standards of the American public at large; a public that is clearly opposed to discrimination.
Augusta maintains that the club and the tournament are separate, and neither has discriminatory policies. Men and women are allowed to play the course as guest members. According to Hootie, “The essence of a private club is privacy.”
Those are the basics to this story. However, through a variety of unexpected twists and turns, the Augusta controversy has grown into quite a spectacle – one that the media has simultaneously created and feasted on. The competition between Martha and Hootie has heated up over the past year, and although it is rare that you ever see them squaring off face-to-face, frequent pointed commentary is exchanged. The rivalry was officially sensationalized when Sports Illustrated introduced the Martha/Hootie meter: a weekly gage of which person was leading in the continuous media war and public debate.
Despite the media frenzy, the Augusta controversy exposes a real issue that affects real people. In early December, Thomas Wyman, a former CBS executive, resigned from Augusta National over the women's membership issue. In an interview with Connie Chung, he spoke about his decision to leave and the history of the club with other discrimination issues.
“I think the parallel with the situation with the African-Americans, for me, is absolutely straight and clear,” said Wyman. “In 1990, we were forced, the club was forced -- in order to keep the tournament, to have black members invited to join. And so it was done. It was done quickly. It was done gracefully. There are now seven black members. They're wonderfully well accepted, and everyone thinks it's a good idea. And it could be precisely the same with the women, in my view.”
After almost 60 years of an all-white male membership, Augusta opened their doors to the first African-American member in 1991. As evident by the strong defiance of Johnson, it appears that women might have to wait another 60.
Other public figures have issued statements and been thrown into the mix. Tiger Woods has said outright that he thinks women should be included as members at Augusta and Georgia Governor Sonny Purdue commented in March that everyone would like to see women admitted to the club at some point.
As the tournament drew closer, Burk requested a meeting with CBS President Les Moonves asking that the network drop this year's Master's telecast. Burk argued that by televising the event, CBS is promoting a venue that discriminates against half of the population. There has been no response from the network other than an affirmation that they will be broadcasting the tournament.
And so it goes…
Well. Shouldn't a private club be allowed to select its membership? The superficial answer to this question is “Yes.” But as we dig deeper, we begin to uncover the ethical and moral issues surrounding this particular scenario:
Private clubs are by their very definition “private.” What is a club that hosts one of the largest and most renowned professional men's golf tournaments in the world, charges a significant amount of money for people to come to watch the event, and purchases time to broadcast the event on a major network, which provides a distinctive and invaluable exposure opportunity? Is it really still a private club or has it crossed the line, behind which it can continue to be exclusive to the chosen few? Members of this private club are the movers and shakers of this country, CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, key influencers of amateur and professional sport, and publicly elected officials. These same members uphold and abide by anti-discrimination policies in their workplace everyday. Meanwhile, this same club and those affiliated with it, including its members, sponsors and television partners, support a discriminatory policy denying an opportunity to over half of the U.S. population. Doesn't anything seem wrong with this picture?
If a private club such as The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, which hosts Wimbledon - one of the most recognized and respected professional tennis events - was practicing the same exclusionary policies, it would elicit the same response. This debate is about what the club's policies represent and how they disregard the value that our society places on equal treatment and equal opportunity. As the demographics of the United States continues to diversify, this discussion is about the direction that we want our nation to be heading – toward a more inclusive, open-minded, tolerant and respectful society of people.
Should the members of Augusta, some of the most influential leaders in the country be expected to set a positive example by sending the message that discrimination on the basis of gender is unacceptable?
With all of this talk and hype generated over the past year, we should be reminded of our original question. Will women finally break into the gender exclusive bubble of Augusta National Golf Club? Only time will tell. Two facts are certain, however. One professional golfer will be going home with the coveted green jacket, and throughout the duration of this year's Masters Tournament, much more will be playing out than just 18 holes of golf.