Masters of sensitivity

In the wake of the Masters Tournament, I thought I'd provide some long-awaited commentary about the hypersensitivity of Augusta National Golf Club in hosting this prestigious golf event.

In the early 2000s, Augusta National came under fire for having an exclusively male membership. This was controversial enough that the Masters had a hard time selling ads for its CBS telecasts. But it also blew wide open some of the strange policies the club has regarding TV coverage.

These policies show how sensitive the club is about the Masters. This extreme touchiness is another fair target for ridicule.

The club expects announcers who cover the Masters to display decorum not normally associated with sports coverage (even golf).

If you watch the Masters next year, notice how many spectators there are. Except you're not allowed to call them spectators. Sportscasters who cover the tournament are supposed to call them "patrons", not spectators.

The rough of the golf course is never called the rough. It's always called the "second cut."

In 1995, CBS's Gary McCord learned the hard way what sort of behavior Augusta National Golf Club expects from Masters broadcasters. McCord remarked that the 17th green was so fast that it seemed "bikini-waxed", and he joked that "body bags" were stored behind the green for golfers who missed approach shots. Augusta National officials were so outraged at these quips that they forced CBS to remove him from covering the event.

McCord reportedly has not been allowed to cover a single Masters ever since, even though he covers almost all other golf matches for the network.

Augusta National once demanded the firing of a sportscaster who jokingly compared the crowd of spectators to a "mob."

So don't insult, ridicule, or laugh at Augusta National. It might make those poor, sensitive, easy-hurt macho supermen at the club cry.

(Source: http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/why-coverage-of-us-masters-is-so-polite/2007/04/04/1175366249870.html)