One thing I really liked when going to the website for the PGA was their home screen. Given the situation of the conclusion of the Ryder Cup, you had the option to enter via "Team Europe" or "Team USA". The Ryder Cup itself was really great although we lost such a close tournament and including the Ryder Cup to the website was a great idea. However, entering the website for the LPGA was a little more standardized...nothing too flashy. Other differences include mostly news about the Ryder Cup under the PGA and information on The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales where the tournament was held. Another difference I noticed was all the pink for the LPGA given October being the Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Despite these differences, there were a few similarities as well.
Similarities for each website included; information on upcoming tournaments, players within the PGA and LPGA, as well as a pro shop for specific golf equipment just to name a few. As far as pay scales go, we discussed the numbers between men and women in golf in reference to Scott Kravitz' blog in class. I also noticed similar sponsors like Rolex, Titleist, FootJoy, and Cobra.
In thinking about greater gender equality in both the PGA and LPGA, I think about money. How can the LPGA bring more money into their tournaments? I don't have the answer to such question, but I can at least brainstorm some ideas. Maybe the PGA and LPGA can hold joint tournaments thus bringing in more revenue for the purse prizes. Or, maybe they can hold an alternate shot tournament inwhich a PGA player is paired with an LPGA player thus drawing the crowd and sponsors for a PGA tournament in reach with LPGA players. These may sound like a few ridiculous ideas but I really don't know how the LPGA can bring in more money to equal out the differences with the PGA.
I think it is a great idea to pair more of the PGA and LPGA golfers together. They are doing that more and more in tennis and I think it is a great idea. The men and women can complement one another in ways that can be emphasized. It helps that some of the tournaments in tennis are already featuring the top men and women. Perhaps that is why it works so seamlessly in tennis. When Tiger Woods was supportive of Annika Sorenstam (when she played in a PGA event), that was nice to see.
ReplyDeleteI really like your idea of trying to incorporate the players together in special tournaments. I think that it will really gain attention to the LPGA. However, it is very hard to try to get more publicity for the LPGA just like it is for almost all women's professional sports. I'm not sure if they will ever gain the same amount of recognition as the men's sports just for the simple fact that when you think of a specific sport, the mens game is the first thing that comes to mind then the womens game.
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