EVENTS
 Sportsman of the Year
 Heisman Trophy
 Swimsuit 2001

CNNSI.com GROUP
 Sports Illustrated
 Life of Reilly
 SI Women
 SI for Kids
 Press Room
 TBS/TNT Sports
 CNN Languages

COMMERCE
 SI Customer Service
 SI Media Kits
 Get into College
 Sports Memorabilia
 TeamStore

My Shot

To attract new fans, the LPGA should take a lesson from our past and sell sex appeal

Click here for more on this story

By Laura Diaz

Greg Foster

A few weeks ago a reporter asked me how the LPGA should market itself, and I told him what I've believed since I joined the tour, in 1999: "We should market sex," I said. "Sex sells." My comments created quite a stir, and virtually all the feedback I've received from the other players -- from Hall of Famers to rookies -- has been positive. The LPGA already has a core group of golf fans, but to really grow, it needs to win over the general sports fan, and a great way to do that is to promote our sex appeal.

Laura Baugh and Jan Stephenson went down that road in the 1970s and '80s, and they created a lot of interest in the LPGA. Laura never won a tournament, but her good looks garnered tons of exposure for herself and the tour. Laura did so many endorsements that in 1976 she made $300,000 -- less than 10% of which was tournament winnings. Jan, who won 16 events, including three majors, posed for an LPGA-produced magazine that showed her in a Marilyn Monroe-like pinup photo and appeared seductively on a self-published poster bearing the suggestive line, PLAY A ROUND WITH ME!!

I don't think the LPGA should be as provocative as Jan was, but sex appeal can be promoted tastefully. The new campaign for a popular deodorant does just that. The commercials show a bunch of women marching in army boots and camouflage-style short shorts and short tops. The ads make the point that women can sweat and be tough but still be feminine.

The LPGA needs to acknowledge that a lot of people watch women's sports more for the women than for the sports. Why else would Anna Kournikova, who has never won a singles title, be the most popular player in women's tennis? We have quite a few attractive women, and we should use our looks to our advantage. After all, what's so wrong with seeing an occasional belly button?

Laura Diaz, 26, is eighth on the 2001 money list with $659,123.

Issue date: September 3, 2001

 

Related information
Stories
Golf Notebook SI Online: Current Issue and Archives
Multimedia
Visit Video Plus for the latest audio and video
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call your cable operator or DirecTV.

Copyright © 2001 CNN/Sports Illustrated An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines.