1.08.2008

announcer says young golfers should "lynch tiger woods"

From the world of golf... what the hell was this woman thinking? Last week during a telecast of the Mercedes-Benz Championship on the Golf Channel, announcer Kelly Tilghman said that golf's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley." Yeah. I don't know the exact context in which she said it (I'm not sure context would really help), but she did indeed say it: Golf Channel Anchor Kelly Tilghman Says Young Golfers Should 'Lynch Tiger Woods'.

What the hell? She was apparently making some kind of joke, maybe trying to say that the only chance young golfers will ever have of overtaking Woods as the number one golfer in the world is to hurt him. Yeah. Hilarious. I can think of roughly 3 billion better ways to get that point across, and none of them invokes an ugly act of racist violence. How does one come up with a comment like that out of thin air? It's ridiculous.

So what now? I haven't heard much Imus-like outcry for her firing. If it makes a difference, Tilghman has offered an explanation and apology for her comments: Tilghman apologizes for 'lynch Tiger' remark.

I say she should get the boot. Sure, she made history by becoming the sport's first full-time female play-by-play commentator. But if your job is to comment, shouldn't you avoid making dumbass racist on-air remarks? Is it really that hard to steer clear of references to back-alley lynchings? It's downright apalling. Fire her ass. That's racist! (Thanks, Brandon)

angry archive