# Unsexy, inexpressive, uncommunicative Asian women are killing the LPGA Tour! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 10, 2003, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755 "2003-10-10T23:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/21 "2003-10-11T20:58:32Z")
Oh cut the bullshit that sex has no place in athletics. Look how extraordinarily well women’s tennis is doing with their sexy approach. It wasn’t too long ago when most of the field were manatees. But look at them now. Sleek, sexy, with figures to die for. And check out their share of the purse. Before, it was a fraction of what the men made. Now, the women’s take is the same or close to what the men get. And that is because these days, there are a lot more good-playing, good-looking women on the tennis pro circuit, and the world loves to watch them. Anna Kornakova is a case in point. Her game sucked, but the men flocked to the stadiums - not because she played so well, but because she is/was (in their opinion) gorgeous. Maybe the LPGA should take note. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/22 "2003-10-11T21:02:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Antiochus \* > \*\*Oh cut the bullshit that sex has no place in athletics. > > Look how extraordinarily well women’s tennis is doing with their sexy approach. > > It wasn’t too long ago when most of the field were manatees. > > But look at them now. Sleek, sexy, with figures to die for. > > And check out their share of the purse. Before, it was a fraction of what the men made. Now, the women’s take is the same or close to what the men get. > > And that is because these days, there are a lot more good-playing, good-looking women on the tennis pro circuit, and the world loves to watch them. > > Anna Kornakova is a case in point. Her game sucked, but the men flocked to the stadiums - not because she played so well, but because she is/was (in their opinion) gorgeous. > > Maybe the LPGA should take note. \*\* I don’t quite get your assertion re the “sexy approach”. How is the WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) going to dictate, influence or otherwise control the “look” and physique of those who do well? Are they going to say “Sorry you’re too ugly. You can’t play!” or “No, you’re too dykey. No tournament spot for you!” ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/23 "2003-10-11T21:10:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Antiochus \* > Look how extraordinarily well women’s tennis is doing with their sexy approach. It wasn’t too long ago when most of the field were manatees. Well, to a degree I guess you have a point. The thing is, Pete Sampras killed pro male tennis. He would stand on the baseline and win the game by serving really hard. He won it all, beat all competition, and made tennis incredibly boring. Women players still play like men did in the 70’s (but women didn’t), so we get exciting games like we had between Borg, Connors, Nastase McEnroe… Long duels, games where the winner was lamost certain beforehand. Excitement, mainly. If it were only the eye candy, why are so many women turning up to watch the games? They’re surely not lesbians, all of them? ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/24 "2003-10-11T21:19:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Gaspode \* > games where the winner **was lamost** certain beforehand. Excitement, mainly. :smack: **… wasn’t almost …** good time to add my current sig line :sigh: ---
**Author:** ![Thylacine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thylacine/32/1143_2.png) [@Thylacine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thylacine)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/25 "2003-10-11T23:49:08Z")
[Top rating programs, 2001](http://www.afc.gov.au/GTP/wftvtopprog01.html) no women’s surfing to be seen. Stevenson copped a lot of flak back in the day for sexy posing and tarting about on the golf course. She maintained then that is was the only way forward and now seems to have trouble seeing it go forward without resorting to her cheap displays of underwear. Hard to be an aging sex-symbol when surrounded by athletes I guess. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/26 "2003-10-11T23:58:10Z")
[Stephenson issues apology](http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=1635798). ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/27 "2003-10-12T00:01:39Z")
This morning’s “Sportscenter” on ESPN claimed Stephenson went even further in her comments (I’m going to have to paraphrase what they said–it’s not on the ESPN website any where). They claimed that Stephenson had said that lesbian golfers were hurting the game, but it might be beneficial to have “two sexy lesbians” (my quote of ESPN’s quote of Stephenson’s quote there) on the Tour. If this is a genuine quote, I think Jan has been licking cane toads or something. Brainless! ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/28 "2003-10-12T00:11:31Z")
I remember hearing something like that on ESPN last night (same episode … they recycle one ep 3 or 4 times a night to fill time), **Duke**. ---
**Author:** ![capacitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@capacitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/capacitor)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/29 "2003-10-12T02:28:35Z")
I think jan was doing a call-out for the Asian women to open up and show a personality, which, like most things, should have been done face to face in private. ---
**Author:** ![Shepherdless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85f322/32.png) [@Shepherdless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shepherdless)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/30 "2003-10-12T05:05:22Z")
Here’s Stephenson’s [comments](http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/news/story?id=1635356) about lesbians: > [@](#): > > Stephenson, who for years has said the LPGA should use sex as a marketing weapon, also said lesbians on the tour are harmful. > > “I used to get teased by the girls that I didn’t need a woman problem because I always had a man problem,” she said. “They never really bothered me, because they knew I was straight. Society is more open now about gay relationships, but it does hurt the tour. It hurts with sponsors. But if you had two gorgeous girls who were gay, I don’t think that would hurt.” As for her comments, they’re simply idiotic. She’s basically arguing that this ludicrous emphasis on skill and ability is hurting the game. I guess the rules should somehow be changed to allow sexier women to play and flirt with sponsors. One stroke penalty for wearing pants, perhaps? ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/31 "2003-10-12T14:07:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*Possibly, but the pure “sex appeal” issue aside, and just concentrating on inter-personal skills, if (per Manhattan and others) some degree of schmoozing skills with corporate sponsors are necessary for this professional league to be “big time” successful, and the top players are being relatively uncommunicative, due to language limitations or cultural differences, to parties seeking (and paying big dollars for) some bit of interaction, this could well turn into a serious income and sponsorship problem over time. \*\* And again I state that, if this is true, then the Women’s golf problem is **not** about athletes not showing enough tit or kissing enough ass. What Stephenson should be asking is _why_ women golfers _have_ to show tit and kiss ass in order to make it a BIG sport. ---
**Author:** ![Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/57b2e6/32.png) [@Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conflict_of_Interest)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/32 "2003-10-12T18:25:59Z")
To a certain extent I agree with you **Biggirl**. Why should women have to show more, as you call it, tits and ass? One of the main reason goes to the demographics of who goes to or watched women sports. If it was mostly women then you wouldn’t need to show more. But if it’s men and the reason they are going more is because the women athletes are better looking and they are just enjoying the voyerism then it would help the sport more. Do I think it’s needed?..no. There has to be a reason womens sports are failing. I don’t claim to know what it is but for some reason they just dont do as well as mens sports. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Obvious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@Mr.Obvious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Obvious)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/33 "2003-10-12T18:28:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Gaspode \* > **Well, to a degree I guess you have a point. The thing is, Pete Sampras killed pro male tennis. He would stand on the baseline and win the game by serving really hard. He won it all, beat all competition, and made tennis incredibly boring.** Right…Pete Sampras…quite possibly the greatest tennis player in the history of the game, got that way because he would “stand on the baseline and win the game by serving really hard”. Do me a favor The Gasbag…next time you want to waste bandwidth and comment on something that you clearly know next to nothing about…STFU, idiot. Pete Sampras had perhaps the greatest 2nd serve in the history of tennis. Think that had something to do with it? He also had…and I’m quoting Rod Laver…“the best 1st volley of all time”. Think that had something to do with it? Sampras also had the ability to hit a winner from anywhere on the baseline at any given time. Again…data that might be important given the fact that Sampras ONLY SERVED EVERY OTHER GAME. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/34 "2003-10-12T18:30:37Z")
Unsexy Asian women? Isn’t that a self contradiction? 😃 Oops! I’m not trying to be racist. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![hebesphenomegacorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@hebesphenomegacorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hebesphenomegacorona)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/35 "2003-10-12T20:14:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by aryk29 \* > \*\*Unsexy Asian women? Isn’t that a self contradiction? 😃 > > Oops! I’m not trying to be racist. 🙂 \*\* Racist/Jackassery would be isn’t that redundant? That’s just a compliment, what you said… _Waits patiently for someone to happily flame me for that…_ ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/36 "2003-10-12T20:49:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Biggirl \* > \*\*And again I state that, if this is true, then the Women’s golf problem is **not** about athletes not showing enough tit or kissing enough ass. What Stephenson should be asking is _why_ women golfers _have_ to show tit and kiss ass in order to make it a BIG sport. \*\* IANAG (I am not a golfer) but don’t male professional golfers have to play the Pro-AM schmooze game also? A real golf maven can correct me, but it seems to be a basic part of how the sport is structured to garner sponsorship and income. A lot of mid-tier pro golfers might need that Pro-AM income. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/37 "2003-10-12T21:20:36Z")
What amazes me is that people actually _watch_ golf, whether played by men or women. It’s a fine sport to play, but to watch? Worse than baseball, I’d say. Over my shoulder while running away. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/38 "2003-10-13T00:06:08Z")
Originally posted by **astro** : > [@](#): > > … I thought it was more or less accepted as a working fact that the player demographic of the ladies golf tour is at least 50% gay. In fact, in the few times I watched ladies golf while channel surfing, the last descriptive word that would come to mind in watching the white, non-asian women, is “sexy”. Sturdy, bulky, trundling, powerful perhaps … but not “sexy”. While I agree with many of **astro’s** points in this thread, I cannot help but point out a few problems with the later sentences of the quoted statement. So, by your logic, being a gay woman golfer implies a predisposition to be sturdy, bulky, trundling, powerful perhaps … but not ‘sexy’. What a crock. “Sexy” to whom? Ah yes…a heterosexual man, who thinks his personal views (on one of the most subjective suite of qualities known to the human species) are somehow more signifigant than others’ views. Even if heterosexual men are the driving metric behind the success or failure of professional women’s golf…at least as a media and sponsorship cash cow…they are not (contrary to the unfortuneate status quo) representative of anyone other than themselves. They just happen to be the statistically flawed sample size of one continuing to be used by the media. The sport (along with soccer, and any other sport played by women) will continue to be played…at an entertaining, competetive, highly skilled level…whether or not “Professional” is included in the name of the organization, whether or not it is covered by the media, whether or not the players and coaches have the ability to make a living exclusively from the sport, as the men are able to do. One of these days we’ll figure out how to prioritize atheletics over the money that can be made from them. Untill that day happens…or there is some sort of gender shift in the flow of the money…we’re stuck with professional women’s sports blinking in and out of existence. I, for one, certainly hope it is the first option, and I’m willing to be patient for that day. Participating in anything less (as a fan or a player) rings hollow in comparison and is a very unfortunate compromise, imho. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/39 "2003-10-13T01:58:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by honeydewgrrl \* > \*\*Originally posted by **astro** : > > While I agree with many of **astro’s** points in this thread, I cannot help but point out a few problems with the later sentences of the quoted statement. > > So, by your logic, being a gay woman golfer implies a predisposition to be sturdy, bulky, trundling, powerful perhaps … but not ‘sexy’. What a crock. “Sexy” to whom? Ah yes…a heterosexual man, who thinks his personal views (on one of the most subjective suite of qualities known to the human species) are somehow more signifigant than others’ views. > \*\* I thought it was self evident I was referring to “sexy” in the same context as Jan Stephenson admonition to be more “sexy”, and sexy in this context was heterosexual “sexy”. I don’t disagree with you that a powerful woman _can_ be sexy. As an example Lucy Lawless as “Xena Warrior Princess” was practically a lesbian icon. The point I was making was that I didn’t quite grok Stephenson’s exhortation for the Asians to be more “hetero” sexy, as the existing cohort of white, non-asian female professional golfers weren’t (as a rule) really all that “hetero sexy” to begin with, and with a few notable exceptions, never had been. ---
**Author:** ![Beagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@Beagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beagle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755/40 "2003-10-13T02:23:24Z")
Mmm… Naked Asian lesbian golfers… What? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsexy-inexpressive-uncommunicative-asian-women-are-killing-the-lpga-tour/206755.md?page=3)