UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, April 30, 1997
3B
Story content affects advertising
Titleist pulled its advertising from Sports Illustrated this week. The main reason was because of a story in the April 7 issue of SI reporting that about 20,000 lesbians regularly attended the LPGA's Dinah Shore tournament.
The article did not run in the magazine proper, but in the Golf Plus supplement that is sent to about 450,000 SI subscribers who describe themselves as avid golfers.
The article described a number of activities — not sponsored by the LPGA or the tournament, as the article noted — in which the people who attended the tournament also participated.
Titleist found these activities unfit for publication and withdrew all of its advertising from Sports Illustrated.
Si president Donald Elliman said it was nothing new for an advertiser to question the editorial content of the magazine, but this was the first time advertising had been pulled for such a reason.
Titleist claims that this was just the culmination — that the magazine had painted an unfavorable picture of $ \sigma^2 $
SPORTS COLUMNIST
women golfers in general, citing reports acknowledging that one of the players was a lesbian and another was treated for alcoholism and an eating disorder. Titleist has a right to complain, but to pull its advertising is ridiculous.
Does Titleist
have a problem with the fact that there is a large segment of lesbians who also are women's golf fans? Is Titleist now the defender of women's golf? Is it seeking editorial control of the most popular sports publication in the country? Is it next going to refuse to let its hottest spokesman,
Tiger Woods, be interviewed by SIT
Neither Titleist nor Sports Illustrated are going to be devastated by the decision. But it is one that brings up a lot of questions about the advertiser-publisher relationship.
An advertiser has the right to select publications that represent the type of image the company wishes to represent, but it does not have the right to influence the actual content of the publication.
To do that would be to seize editorial control and eventually make publications the equivalent of company newsletters. That may be an exaggeration, but Titleist needs to realize that with the commitment to advertise in a publication, a company takes the risk that it may not agree with every word written in the magazine.
Is an occasional comment about lesbians enough to deter all the publicity Titleist gains by having Tiger on the cover of *Si* every other week?
Parting Shot With the end of this column comes
Parting Shot
the end of my Kansan career. I just want to thank you for reading my work.
During the course of the semester, I've tried to address some serious issues, as well as some that were not so serious. I hope I've made you laugh, and I hope I've made you think. I know I've made some of you angry.
But I want to say one thing: I'm a columnist. I don't speak absolute truths, and I don't try to make you think what it think. I just write what I think or whatever I wonder about. I speculate.
I appreciate all of your feedback — even the ones that were too profanity-laced to print. But I think that some of you are taking me a little too seriously. And some of you are taking yourselves too seriously (i.e. the field house campers).
So just relax. Enjoy the columns, and remember that when you write back, the columnist wins.
Comments? E-mail John at sports@kansan.com
Lesbian story prompts ad withdrawal
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — The decision by the CEO of Titleist to withdraw more than $1 million in advertising from Sports Illustrated reflects the industry's inability to deal with critical publicity, according to an SI editor.
"We cover golf like we cover other sports," said Jim Herre, the editor for the Golf Plus section of SL.
"Golf has a history of shying from the light," Herre said Monday. "It has to be able to stand up to some honest scrutiny."
Wally Uihlein, the chief executive officer of Titleist and Foot-Joy Worldwide, told The New York Times the SI article on the lesbian party surrounding the Dinah Shore tournament last month was symptomatic of a condescending mind-set toward women in golf in general.
Uithlein, who dismissed any suggestion that people might see his move as homophobic, told the Times his company was pulling its advertising from the 450,000 circulation Golf Plus supplement to Sport Illustrated.
It was not clear how long Titleist would withhold its ads from Golf Plus or under what conditions it would end the boycott.
The story about the Dinah Shore tournament — a longtime chic vacation place for lesbians — was a feature accompanying the magazine's regular coverage of the tournament.
The piece was illustrated with a photo of a woman in a thong bikini locked in embrace with another woman and another picture of a gathering place at which women were apparently watching a female exotic dancer.
Ulhlein was not available for comment on Monday and a spokeswoman told The Associated Press that he would not be available for several days.
But one golf insider, who discussed the matter with Uhlheim, described the CEO's feelings this way:
"First, why this old story? We've known there was a lesbian party scene at the Dinah Shore for years." the source told the AP.
"And third, why this tastelessly?" the source said of the photos accompanying the article. "It was meant to confuse the reader as to what was happening on the course."
"Second, why in greater detail than the game story?" the source said, referring to the fact that the feature story was four pages long and the game story three pages.
In addition to the Dinah Shore story, which appeared April 7, Uihlein cited an $SI$ article last year in which LPGA player Muffin Spencer-Devil came out as a lesbian and an item about Laura Baugh emphasizing how she ended up being treated for alcoholism and an eating disorder.
STUDENT TRAVEL
STA Travel Is the world's largest travel organization specializing in low-cost travel for students.
Classified Ads Get Results. Fast!
PSST! Got the urge to travel?
STA Travel has great student airfares to destinations around the world. Go shopping on our website for current student airfares.
STA
STA TRAVEL
We'll leave them
(800) 777-0112 www.sta-travel.com
Yom Hashoah: In Remembrance of the Holocaust
To remember those who died and celebrate those who live.
- Hostel Membership
* Spring Break
* Travel Insurance
* Packages for 18-34 yrs.
* Budget Hotels
- International Student Identity Card
* Around the World
* Student Airfares
* Domestic Discounts
* Eurail Passes
The University of Kansas Hillel Foundation Presents:
Sunday May 4th,1997 7:30 p.m.
Come Party on the Patio
At Lawrence Jewish Community Center 917 Highland Drive, One block east of 9th & Iowa. Admission is Free. Call 749-Jews for directions.
$1.75 Swillers
$1.50 Margaritas
25 $ Draws
"Don't Drink the Water"
815 New Hampshire 841-7287
1420 Crescent Road 843-3826
Hanover Place 14th & Mass •841-1212
at the top of Naismith Hill!
Regents Court 19th & Mass·749-0445
MASTERCRAFT
Orchard Corners 15th & Kasold · 749-4226
Sundance 7th & Florida • 841-5255
Campus Place 12th & Louisiana·841-1429
Tanglewood 10th. & Arkansas • 749-2415
LIVE NEAR CAMPUS!
Reserve Your Apartment Today!
842-4455
We've Got the Cure for What Ails You...
Now Thru Finals!
Jayhawk Bookstore
TOP CASH FOR BOOKS
Union Technology Center Power at your fingertips!
Compaq Presario
7222ES (P-100) 8/1.2GB/4xCD $1670.00*
*monitor not included
Macintosh. Power at your fingertips.
3rd Floor Burge Union
technology
technology
center
Academic Supplies, Service & Equipment
913-864-5690