Sports Writer

Major Debate

I thought surely that this whole women at Augusta issue would be mute by now, boy was I wrong.

I just don't understand Martha Burk's drive and reasoning behind her push to get a woman or women into Augusta National. Sure it would look good for the Club to have a woman member, but that doesn't mean it has to.

As an avid golfer, I would love to be a member of the Club myself, but I'm not. I would be willing to bet that there are well over a thousand of other male golfers around the States that would love to members of Augusta National, but you don't see us busting down the door to get in, now do you?

The fact that a women's group is trying its best to take the focus off of the golf tournament and put it on the fact that there are no women in the Club kinda makes me mad.

Aren't there better things this group of determined women can do? Like for instance, put it's money and time into breast cancer research or some other cause that is worth the time and effort?

The thing that gets me is that this group, heeded by Martha Burk, is a Women's Rights group. Since when is it a right to be a member of any private club or organization? Last time I checked, never. It is a privilage that a select few get. So what if its members are all male.

I'm not going to sit here and go into the whole argument that there are women's groups that don't have men, even though their are, because I don't feel the need to.

I am very pleased to see Hootie Johnson stick with his guns and stand firm on his, and the Clubs, choice not to allow women.

But why is this even an issue? Having trouble figuring it out? Me too, join the team.

This group of men that are members of Augusta National all have something in common. They are all rich and they are all males. If a woman does join this group, then she will be only one of the two, leaving her as the outcast. Now I know that isn't justification for not allowing a female, but there isn't one. There is no way this is a women's rights issue. They have no right to be a member of this private club.

Sure Augusta National hosts The Masters every March, and sure the tournament itself is a public event, but that is for one week out of the year. The other 51 weeks in the year, the club is very private. So throw that argument out the window ladies.

See, it all comes down to one thing. Men enjoy being able to get away from things and hang out with other men. It's no knock on women, but for some reason, guys need to have a place to call their own. Whether it be a sports bar down the street, a garage in the backyard of a buddie's house or the Augusta National. Men just simply don't want women around all the time.

Guys don't have coffee clubs and bingo clubs to go to, and if they did, they too would be all male.

The issue isn't that these rich guys don't want women around, it's that they don't want women around in their Club.

You can't sit around and tell raunchy jokes, drink beer, play cards and, well, be guys, with women present. It's an age old fact that guys enjoy the company of other guys when they are trying to relax and be themselves.

So Martha, and all of your trusty followers, understand this. It isn't a knock on women or their involvment in sports or golf. It's just the fact that they are happy the way they are, and you aren't entitled to have fun with them just because you are a woman.