A PR Mulligan

“And you may ask yourself – well…how did I get here?”
- Talking Heads

It is often puzzling how organizations find themselves in a PR nightmare of their own design, and then are puzzled. Not surprisingly it often happens related to issues of diversity.

Women’s golf has been stuck in an unwelcome PR whirlwind for weeks in the wake of their new proposed regulations that would require professional women golfers to speak English by 2009. Not all the time, just when players are giving speeches and talking to the press and impressing donors.

Most news reports agree that the South Korean players were the prime target of this rule change, even though players from 26 nations are on the tour this year. Rumor has it that the issue boiled over when Eun-Hee Ji could not deliver her victory speech in English after winning a major tournament.

“We have been puzzled, if not surprised, by some of the reactions,” said deputy commissioner Libba Galloway, who previously was the LPGA’s top attorney. “We see this as a pro-international move.”

In a burst of condescending message framing, Galloway explained that the English-proficiency move would help motivate international players to speak English and therefore land more endorsement deals. Galloway said she drew the “short stick” when she had to deal with the media uproar while the LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens, who is at the heart of the policy shift, was on vacation and unavailable.

You might imagine that Bivens blundered into the language fiasco due to unfamiliarity or even naivete about global communications issues. Not so. She used to lead worldwide advertising for USA Today and was once the COO of the largest media services agency in the United States. Here is her reaction to the massive negative reaction to her new policy:

“I find it troubling that media that does not know the whole story would jump on a racist bandwagon,” Bivens told Golf World. “If these players don’t take this step [and learn English], their ability to earn a living is reduced. They will be cut out of corporate and endorsement opportunities. I can’t imagine that someone who has thought this through does not realize that in opposing this measure they are penalizing the very people they are trying to help.”

First, I would never recommend that someone who is being described in national news reports as “xenophobic” hit back by using the term “racist bandwagon.”

And secondly, it is simply a bad policy coupled with a trainwreck communication strategy. At least one corporate sponsor – State Farm – has publicly stated they are reconsidering their ties with the LPGA after hearing of the new policy. Kip Biggs of State Farm said they were “dumbfounded” upon hearing the news. Corporate sponsor Choice Hotels Intl is also expressing concern.

Yesterday Biven posted her statement of explanation on the LPGA home page, explaining that the LPGA does not work like other sports. The association earns a great deal of money by selling “sponsors” the opportunity to play golf with the professional players. Some of the sponsors apparently become dismayed when they are not able to have casual conversation, sans translator, with the gifted professional athlete they have paid good money to golf with. Biven did concede, however, that players could use their “native languages” when speaking to their caddies, friends and fans.

I predict this all won’t end happily for Bivens. Golf is an international sport and the LPGA plays on an international stage. In fact while English remains a solid U.S. mainstay, over 300 languages are spoken in this country and most nations are seeking ways to become even more multilingual, not increasingly monolingual. Woody Allen pokes fun at U.S. English-only blinders in his new film, “Barcelona.” Penelope Cruz asks Scarlett Johansson why she only speaks English, and Johansson responds that she studied Japanese briefly because it sounded pretty.

Most of the world embraces multiple languages, but the English-only movement persists here. English is the official language in 28 states, though that doesn’t prevent government business from also being conducted in other languages. In 1914 President Roosevelt endorsed English-only sentiment so that we would not become “dwellers in a polyglot boarding house”. Pat Buchanan has borrowed that phrase. A “polyglot” is a “generic term for multilingual persons,” according to Wikepedia.

I am an occasional golfer, though now I will be a polyglot golfer. I took up the sport after a rigorous and successful effort in San Francisco by women’s groups to stop public funds from supporting male-only golf clubs. In a tribute to those fierce activists, we began to integrate the golf course from the bottom up. Now I will be sure to use many languages while on the course. I am a native spanglish speaker, which means that often members in my household doubt my Spanish translation, such as my instinct to simply throw an “el” or “la” in front of an English word. But I am encouraged that “golf” and “putt” and “mulligan” in English and Spanish are same, perhaps with a different accent.

The number one golfer in the world lives in Guadalajara, Mexico. Among the top ten women golfers worldwide, only two are from the United States (ranked 5th and 6th). Lorena Ochoa from Mexico is ranked number one worldwide, followed by Annika Sorenstam from Sweden, Yani Tseng from Taiwan, and Suzann Petterson from Norway.

Ochoa, who speaks both English and Spanish, called the new English policy “drastic”. She also runs a charitable foundation aimed at helping poor kids in Mexico. Ochoa suggests that performance on the golf course ought to be the driving factor when judging golfers. The male golfers don’t face the same English standards. Tiger Woods declined to comment, but other champion male golfers did weigh in. Argentinian Angel Cabrera said “you don’t have to speak English to play golf,” and K.J. Choi of South Korea recalled that during his rookie PGA Tour his English was so bad that he couldn’t read street signs well enough to find the golf course – but that didn’t stop his soaring PGA career.

When a media firestorm erupts, it’s a great idea for organizations to use new media tracking tools to get some perspective on how the story is playing out. In this case, of the hundreds of blog posts that have erupted, some of the most common terms found, in order of prominence, are “Korean,” “criticism,” “harsh,”, “racist,”, and “punish.” In the blogosphere, Bivens lead messages of “effective communication” and “bandwagon” get barely more play than the term “xenophobia”.

A similar message tone exists in the mainstream news, though journalists are not favoring the term “punish” and have ignored the “bandwagon” message. Mainstream news outlets are pitting the “effective communication” quote against “xenophobia” quotes.

This kind of PR analysis matters if the LPGA is truly engaged in managing this storm proactively. Among new media outlets the concept of players being “punished” is surging. Across all media the concept of this story being tied to South Korean players is solid. Taking a look at the “word cloud” analysis, it is impossible for the LPGA to win this PR battle without a shift in policy or strategy.

Whatever happens, I remain committed to playing multi-lingual golf. Years ago it was exhausting golfing (and golfing badly) under the cloud of resentment when the San Francisco courses were forced to let us play. I have a feeling, however, that multilingual golfing won’t be such a hostile experience. In fact I plan to support Ochoa’s outspoken stance and her charitable efforts by ordering a golf hat from her website to wear on the course while I toss around phrases like “trampa de arena,” or “sand trap” for my deep pocket sponsors who may be golfing with me.