Rawson Rouses Controversy with Truth
Anna Rawson got herself into some hot water with the media this week for using the word "dyke" in some public comments. The problem is that the larger truth of what Rawson said is lost in the translation by the offended media.
over 3 years ago
Ryan Ballengee
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and the truth is ????
what – that Anna really shouldn’t answer questions that require thinking ? That there could be some truth to the “blonde” jokes ?
Yes – there ARE lesbians playing professional golf – and yes, there are wome who buy their clothes in the plus size stores — her “logic” that the big women were lesbians (dykes) has got to make the people at Southern Cal wish they could take back the scholarship they gave her since she clearly didn’t couldn’t have passed a basic geometry test or a general logic test.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
General logic
Since when does that have anything to do with the LPGA? Carolyn Bivens is still commissioner.
I know that
we normally go back and forth about the semantics of individual words. For me, I tend to evaluate statements based upon context and the bigger meaning. Anna was right that the mainstream stereotype of women’s golf was (is?) lesbians and ugly women. Like I said, I’ve heard that stuff at LPGA events.
I will agree that Anna could have put this a whole lot better and kept the same message. But, the message is not untrue.
true, that
it is absolutely true…and this stereotypical “dirty little secret” has denied the LPGA from the big money sponsorships and TV deals for years…that, along with the " Korean Invasion" has held back big US Corps. from endorsing the LPGA…and now it’s too late because of corporate meltdown…Rawson is right, but the story will get twisted so badly it will never come out the way she intended it to.
who ?
Aside from Chick-fil-a, who would have withdrawn a sponsorship because of the possiblity that some of the women are lesbians ? I can’t think of any. Look back at what happened with the Dinah Shore – it became a huge gathering of lesbians and you never heard about sponsors complaining about it. The Shore didn’t go under until bigger money took the name off the banner.
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
I'm not sure
That the lesbian stereotype necessarily stopped the money. To be frank, I think Ty Votaw had it right with his 5 points of celebrity. In this day and age, any asset is a good asset. The LPGA now has a lot of talented and pretty good looking women on their tour. That’s a winner.
Rubdown mentioned the reluctance to back a sport with so many Asian players, and that may well be true for some sponsors. I don’t know how much printable proof I could get on that either way.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 3:21 PM EST up reply actions
"DIRTY little secret"
rub was talking about lesbianism — kind of hard to keep being Asian a secret :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Look at it this way...
…if you approached Rawson and started on a string of blonde jokes – she would probably get a bit upset. Of COURSE not all blondes are dumb – but her dyke statement is the same kind of overly broad statement. (broad meaning wide – not broad meaning babe, skirt, honey, chick….) :-)
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
Since she burst into tears at a presser
I think she knows that she made a boo-boo and could have definitely gotten her point across better.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions
just wondering...
Will she get a cold shoulder from other players, or will they cheer her courage?
Will she find a new hat sponsor?
Truth has a well-known liberal bias.
Good questions all
And good point, Court, about the fake crying. I should’ve thought about Hillary’s fake tears in NH.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 4:15 PM EST up reply actions
I think I've already said this...
but her comments weren’t about the mainstream public (who are not all that interested in women’s golf) – she said “the media” – and I think that was a misstatement on her part. The LPGA and “the industry” don’t seem to do anything to promote what some perceive as a negative stereotype…in fact, I think, as we have discussed elsewhere, those in the women’s golf world don’t focus on it much at all. In my opinion, her bringing it up didn’t help women’s golf.
I did mention
That it really hurt her to drop media in what she said throughout my column. I don’t think women’s golf fans think about golf in the way that Anna described.
by Ryan Ballengee on Feb 9, 2009 8:46 PM EST up reply actions
I give it a month
this whole thing will be forgotten by mid March at the latest
"this ball will fit in that fairway"
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