The Glamming of the LPGA
By Ivette Ricco
Hefty, hefty, hefty. Works great for a trash bag, but for athletes, and specifically female athletes, well, not so much.
John Daly is the poster boy for overindulgent athletes with his affinity for booze, gambling and eating, but that doesn’t seem to stop him from getting good press when he’s on the course and winning golf tournaments. He’s a man, after all. Men can get away with things women simply cannot.
On the other side of the wide-body spectrum is Pat Hurst.
As I watched ESPN and caught a glimpse of Pat Hurst at the U.S. Women’s Open, I found myself thinking, “She’s kinda big…”.
Pat Hurst is a big girl, and she looked especially large standing alongside the svelte and toned Annika Sorenstam. If ever there was a commercial tailor made for Jenny Craig and 24 Hour Fitness, this was it.
Color me affected by the perception of what is attractive.
When did we become so biased that the new F word is Fat? We could be more delicate and use the phrase “Full Figured” but you and I know that what we are really talking about is how we perceive America’s standard for beauty, a slender size 8, wasp-like waist, a nice rack, and in this modern world of weight training, toned arms and six pack abs are part of the perfect package.
The reality is that the typical American looks more like John Daly and Pat Hurst than Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam. The “Super Size Me Generation” is in no danger of becoming extinct any time soon. While the average American’s weight has increased over the last 50 years we are still, as a nation, constantly striving to transform ourselves into a Hollywood image and sucking in that gut to get into our “skinny jeans”.
- Men between the ages of 40 and 49 were nearly 27 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
- Men between the ages of 50 and 59 were nearly 28 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
- Men between the ages of 60 and 74 were almost 33 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
For women, the near opposite trend occurred:
- Women aged 20-29 were nearly 29 pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
- Women aged 40-49 were about 25½ pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
- Women aged 60-74 were about 17½ pounds heavier on average in 2002 compared to 1960.
Where does that leave Pat Hurst?
Pat Hurst is a professional athlete who doesn’t fit our concept of what a professional athlete should look like.
She has the midriff bulge (just like the one we are always trying to hide beneath baggy tops), she has the legs of a discus thrower, not of a distance runner, she has a big floppy black mop of hair that sticks out in different directions over her visor.
Hurst is the anti-Sorenstam. She could be your best friend, or your cousin, or your neighbor, but a pro athlete? Sacre blue!
But the mere fact that she is a pro athlete, and a very good one, makes you reassess your most recent diet, and consider eating another slice of banana cream pie.
But, the glamming of female golfers is very much an integral part of the marketing strategy for the LPGA.
When Jim Murray founded Sports Illustrated 30 years ago he called the women on the LPGA tour, “prison matrons and tugboat captains”. Ouch.
The LPGA is setting records and interest has never been higher but the marketing folks know that talent is great, but talent and good looks are a winning formula.
"Yes this is sports and yes this is competition," LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens said, "but we are also in the business of entertainment."
It took 52 years for the LPGA to discover that their product, the female golfers, were in need of a makeover. In 2002 Ty Votaw unveiled the Fans First strategic plan, highlighted by Five Points of Celebrity. The Five Points -- performance, approachability, appearance, joy and passion, and relevance -- Four months later the ladies were offered a full day of "appearance enhancement" instruction with makeup artist Trish McEvoy and hairstylist John Barrett.
Fore!
Hurst is entertaining. She put on a show last week as she went head to head with Sorenstam, the LPGA gold standard. She hung in throughout the 36-hole marathon all weekend, refusing to wilt or to melt, if you prefer.
Hurst, 37, has her priorities in order, she is the mother of two kids, ages 7 and 4 it seems she is quite comfortable in her nicely padded skin.
She likes the competition but not at the expense of living her life on her terms.
She realizes that people don’t think she looks like a typical pro athlete, and it’s fine with her.
Hurst was asked if the field’s younger players “might have the edge in fitness” while the “mental part would seem to be an advantage for a veteran like yourself”, Hurst knew exactly what the question really meant.
“Mental would definitely be up there for me. Obviously fitness isn’t”, Hurst cracked, to much laughter.
Pat Hurst (born May 23, 1969 in San Leandro, California) is an American golfer of mixed American and Japanese ancestry.
As an amateur, Hurst won the 1986 United States Girls Junior Amateur Golf Championship and the 1990 U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. She attended San José State University and won team and individual and team NCAA titles in 1989.
In 1995, Hurst won Rookie of the Year honors in her debut season on the LPGA Tour. She has four career LPGA titles, including one major, 1998 Nabisco Dinah Shore. Her best money list finish was 6th in 2000. She has represented the United States in the Solheim Cup four times: 1998, 2000, 2002, 2005.
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