Los Angeles Times sports and culture columnist and ESPN radio host LZ Granderson on Tuesday called into question the name of golf’s biggest tournament — the Masters, which was won earlier this month by golf legend Tiger Woods.
During a debate on CNN’s “New Day” about sports teams dropping Kate Smith’s “God Bless America” after learning of her racially insensitive songs from the 1930s, Granderson asked why nobody discussed the racism surrounding the name of the Masters tournament, which he noted was “founded by two men that we know, in fact, were racist.”
“History is filled with men and women who have helped society become better culturally who happened to have racist views or have done racist things,” Granderson argued Tuesday. “We celebrated Tiger Woods recently returning back to glory winning at the Masters. We didn’t spend very much time asking ourselves, ‘Why was this tournament called the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, founded by two men that we know, in fact, were racist, who are quoted saying racist things?’ Ever wonder why it was called the Masters? I mean, we have to find a way to find a proper balance, but that doesn’t mean we have to celebrate our past mistakes.”
Follow Trent Baker on Twitter @MagnifiTrent
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