We've Lived with 'The Masters' Name Long Enough

[LessAspin]

I have long wondered about this...

Link to tweet

If you haven’t noticed, this country is changing by the day.

The racist names and symbols are going by the wayside quicker than you can keep up.

Statues of Confederate officers and slave owners have been toppled, not just here, but all over the world. No one’s horrible legacy is safe during the current movement against police brutality and systemic racists after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a white cop in Minneapolis.

People of all colors have taken to the streets demanding change from the powers that be, and, in some cases, made a change themselves.

Recently, NASCAR did the unthinkable, banning the Confederate flag from its events. After all, that move is a direct slap in the face of the sport’s paying customers. It wasn’t an easy decision. It was simply the right choice.

Even Uncle Ben’s, Mrs. Butterworth’s, and Aunt Jemima are all out of work. Their racist/stereotypical images won’t grace the packaging of some of our long-standing food products soon.

But let’s not stop there.

There’s a bigger one in the room that needs to be addressed, changed and removed.

The name “The Masters” must go.

The heralded golf tournament, one of the four majors, needs to go back to its original name — the Augusta National Invitational. It became the Masters in 1939.

Tiger Woods, other big-time golfers and corporate sponsorships should demand it. In the current climate, with all the sweeping changes, it’s only right and just. Best of all, in this case, it’s a simple and smooth fix.

The Masters never felt good or even sounded good when you said it.

And before we hear from the choir about tradition and history, save it.

When that history and tradition is rooted in slavery, it shouldn’t be preserved and honored.

Augusta National was built on grounds that were once a slave plantation and was the property of a slave owner. And according to a 2019 New Yorker piece about the course, it’s believed that enslaved Blacks were housed on the property.

And be honest. When you hear anyone say the Masters, you think of slave masters in the South. There’s nothing else, nothing special. You don’t think of someone mastering the game of golf. When has anyone mastered golf?

The only thing worse than the name of the event is the actual venue...

https://deadspin.com/we-ve-lived-with-the-masters-name-long-enough-1844121041

[Ferrets are Cool]

1. Those white "Masters" will never allow that to happen.

"The only thing worse than the name of the event is the actual venue..." So true.

[empedocles]

3. The venue site, may give this issue more legs

[mr_lebowski]

2. The slave owner reference has actually NEVER occurred to me when hearing that name ...

I've always thought 'People who've mastered the craft'.

In retrospect, perhaps I was blinded by my white privilege.

Probably happens a lot actually come to think of it.

[Ferrets are Cool]

4. The club welcomed its first Black member in 1990 and it was not until 2012 that Augusta National

admitted its first female members (there are still only 6 female members). Augusta National's social and racial history has been a troubled one. Co-founder Clifford Roberts vowed all players would be white and all caddies would be Black.
I cannot find out how many current AA members they have "allowed" to join.

[mr_lebowski]

6. To be clear I'd not be surprised if the intention of the name was as speculated in the article ...

Just that *I* had never thought of that, and the article said 'everyone does' basically.

So I responded to that point.

It's not everyone, actually.

But it's one of those things ... now it can't be unseen.

[Ferrets are Cool]

7. ...

[PJMcK]

5. Sorry but this opinion writer is reaching for an argument where none exists

The name of The Masters refers to those who master the game of golf.

Period.

By the way, if the writer, Rob Parker, is looking for a way to try to racially shame the Board of Directors of Augusta National, it's kind of foolish. The club announced the other day that Lee Elder, a retired African American golfer who was the first Black to play in the Masters, will join Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial first tee shot, replacing the late and much beloved Arnold Palmer. They're making an effort to be inclusive and Mr. Elder doesn't seem to share Mr. Parker's concerns.

More to the point is that Augusta National is a private club. They don't have to answer to anyone. They run their club the way that they want to. It's called private enterprise and it's a foundational component of American society. They also run it like the big business that the event has become and they treat their patrons with great respect.

Lastly, Mr. Parker's suggestion that the event should change its venue i's bullshit. Augusta National is one of the finest golf courses in the world and nearly every golfer would jump at the opportunity to play its storied links. The past is in the past and if one were to apply Mr. Parker's "logic" then there would be hundreds of properties that would be off-limits for nearly any enterprise.

[Ferrets are Cool]

8. I wholehearted disagree with every point you made.

But, we can agree to disagree and leave it at that.

[PJMcK]

9. Fair enough

Backatcha, Ferrets!

[grumpyduck]

10. Sorry, but I beg to differ.

I don't have any problem with changing the name, but the statement that "When you hear anyone say the Masters, you think of slave masters in the South. There’s nothing else, nothing special. You don’t think of someone mastering the game of golf. When has anyone mastered golf?" is simply not correct.

For instance:

The term "master" goes back many centuries. Back in the medieval trade guild system (apprentice, journeyman, master) a "masterpiece" was a piece crated by a journeyman to prove that he was ready to become a "master" and start his own shop and hire his own apprentices. In fact, the system and the terms are still in use today by many trade unions. The term had nothing to do with slavery.

There are masters, grandmasters, and international grandmasters in chess. In fact, there are 37 women who hold the title of grandmaster.

The academic degree of "Master of Arts" (between a Bachelor's and a Doctorate) has been around for centuries, and is awarded to women as well as men. In fact, Jill Biden received a Master's degree from West Chester State College and a second Master's from Villanova University.

The term is also used in film, photography, and other fields.

So no, the term "master" does not refer specifically to slave owners.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. One Thing To Add, To...

...an excellent post.
The Masters Tournament (notice there's no apostrophe) is still an invitational, with a set criteria for invitation.
The criteria are set to get a prime selection of the best players in the world, including international & young amateur players.
The prime criterion is WINNING some other tournament over the past couple years.
At that level of competition, winning a tournament is a clear demonstration of mastery of golf.
The next most important criterion is that one won this very tournament, in the past.
It's merit based entry & includes only those that have mastered tournament golf.
The article in the OP is gross hyperbole in search of controversy.

[hughee99]

13. You'd think someone with a Masters degree, like the author

Of this piece, would understand that.

On a side note, I had thought all deadspins writers had quit specifically because they were told to stop doing this sort of thing, and they refused.

[El Supremo]

12. This guy is just trying to stir up controversy. He's just another...

Masters Baiter.