Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 28, 1990 TAG: 9007280081
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BIRMINGHAM, ALA. LENGTH: Medium
It also appeared Friday that the tournament will be picketed despite a request by Birmingham's black mayor not to stage protests.
Leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference said promises by Shoal Creek's governors that the private club will consider blacks for membership were too late to head off demonstrations during the Aug. 9-12 tournament.
"Our advertiser pullout is approaching $2 million," said Steve Solomon, senior vice president of ABC Sports, "and we've had indications from other advertisers that they may be pulling out as well."
A spokesman for American Honda Motor Co., Bob Butorac, said Friday in Los Angeles that the firm "has decided to remove its advertising on the 1990 PGA Championship telecast due to questions arising from the membership policies of the host club."
"American Honda believes this is a sound business decision and is consistent with the company's philosophy as an equal-opportunity employer."
Butorac declined to say how much money the commercials would have cost, but said, "It wasn't a major advertising thing for us. We were in for two or three Acura ads on the ESPN broadcast only."
ESPN is to televise the first two days and ABC the final two days of the tournament, one of the four major events on the men's professional golf tour.
Earlier, Toyota, IBM, Anheuser-Busch and Lincoln-Mercury said they were dropping plans to run commercials either on ABC or ESPN.
Delta Airlines said it would reduce its commercial involvement with the PGA.
The issue became public when the club's founder, Hall Thompson, told a reporter six weeks ago that Shoal Creek would not be pressured into accepting blacks as members. Thompson later apologized and said his remarks had been taken out of context, but has said nothing publicly since then.
The Rev. Abraham Woods, Birmingham SCLC president, said Shoal Creek must get a black member before the tournament to avoid protests.
Steve Bradley, chairman of publicity for the tournament, said he believes it is a moot question whether Shoal Creek could get a black member by then.
Bradley referred to efforts by Richard Arrington, the city's first black mayor, and others to reach some type of compromise and avert protests.
"Some individuals who have worked very hard behind the scenes now tell me they don't believe anything will satisfy Dr. Woods and his people," said Bradley, who is not a member of the club but is helping as a volunteer.
"We're wondering if perhaps the objective of some leaders on the other side of the issue has been all along to picket, regardless," he said.
On Thursday, Arrington displayed a copy of revised Shoal Creek bylaws and a letter from Thompson saying the club's membership policy would not discriminate. The mayor said he was convinced the club meant it.
He said he believed Shoal Creek will have black members within a year and that a black might be proposed as soon as next month.
Woods countered that this was too indefinite, and that he needed "to see something more than on paper, more than something they say they'll do."
Chris Boehm, co-chairman of a city community affairs committee that works for racial harmony, said Woods is not giving Shoal Creek a fair chance.
"I very much respect some of the stances Shoal Creek has taken as far as trying to work and make good-faith efforts," Boehm said. "I'd encourage Rev. Woods to believe them. They're not going to bald-face lie about this."
In Washington, Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D-N.Y., introduced legislation Friday that would prohibit dues paid to private clubs from being deducted as a business expense for federal income tax purposes if the club practices discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex or religion.
Keywords:
GOLF
by CNB