Feminism in Sports

The MASTERS 2003
Burk’s Crusade is a Bust
















Elizabeth Miller
April 29, 2003
HF395

The Masters is one of the oldest and most prestigious tournaments in modern golf history, dating back to 1934. Every year the best players in the world of golf congregate in Augusta, Georgia all with the hopes of wearing the illustrious green jacket. Augusta National is the golf course that is home to the Masters, the green jackets and now national controversy. Late last year, the headlines of magazines, newspapers and websites began to buzz about Martha Burk and her crusade for women’s rights. The issue that caused all this commotion is the membership roster at Augusta National; there are no women on it. It is not unusual to find private golf clubs, such as Augusta National, that have all male membership but because the Masters, the tournament, is open to the public there is a lot of grey area as to whether Augusta National is practicing discrimination b...