Blalock cheating scandal 1972.

[gxer]

Until Larry's Life on Tour made a big issue of cheating going on currently on the LPGA tour I had forgotten that Jane Blalock was up to her eyeballs in rules violations in the early 1970's.
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In court hearings last week, the L.P.G.A. said that spotters hidden in woods and stationed on television towers with binoculars had seen Miss Blalock improve her lies. Janie conceded that she may have done so "through carelessness or excitement," but contended that her suspension was an effort to "exterminate" her as the circuit's top money winner. Regardless of the lawsuit's outcome, it seemed clear that before the case was over, both sides would wish they had never teed off against each other.

Sport: Play It as It Lies - TIME

[gxer]

Court ruling on Jane Blalock's antitrust lawsuit against the LPGA tour.
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LPGA. Barbara Jane Blalock was the Ladies Professional Golf Association
Rookie of the Year in 1969. By the time she retired from full-time tournament
competition in 1986, she held the record for the most LPGA victories (27) without a major championship win (although she was the runner-up at the LPGAChampionship twice).

During the week of May 15, 1972, Blalock played in the LPGA
Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky. The LPGA Tournament Director appointed
four observers to observe Blalock’s play during the second round of the
tournament. The observers reported that Blalock had moved her ball in violation of golf rules (i.e., ‘illegally’). The LPGA’s Executive Board, which was
comprised of professional women golfers who regularly competed in LPGA
tournaments, convened on May 20 and decided to disqualify Blalock from the
Louisville tournament, place her on probation for the remainder of the 1972
season, and impose a $500 fine for cheating. Blalock was informed of the
Executive Board’s decision on May 26.

However, two days later, at an Executive Board meeting that included two non-Board members – Marlene Hagge and Kathy Farrer, both also player-competitors of Blalock – the Executive Board discussed Hagge’s recommendation on behalf of the tournament committee that
Blalock be suspended. The Executive Board voted to suspend Blalock for one
year.

At a May 30 meeting with the Executive Board, Blalock was informed that
she was suspended from June 1, 1972 until May 31, 1973 and that all members of the Executive Board agreed with the suspension.

Blalock filed an antitrust lawsuit against the LPGA and the members of
the Executive Board, alleging that the suspension constituted a group boycott and a per se restraint of trade in violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act.

The district court issued its opinion on June 21, 1973. The district court
immediately noted that “professional golf is subject to the antitrust laws” – the LPGA “conducts its business in such a manner as to constitute interstate
commerce.”
The district court also noted that, although the legality of conduct
under the Sherman Act is generally judged under the ‘rule of reason’, there are exceptions, one of which is group boycotts. Group boycotts are per se illegal – it is sufficient to show that such a boycott exists; there is no need to evaluate the ‘reasonableness’ of the boycott.

According to the LPGA Constitution and Bylaws, LPGA members cannot
compete for prize money in any non-LPGA-sponsored event. Thus, a suspended LPGA member is not only excluded from LPGA tournaments, she is excluded from winning prize money at any tournament. Moreover, the members of the Executive Board that suspended Blalock were Blalock’s competitors on the golf course – they were competing with Blalock for the same prize money.

Consequently, the district court argued that the persons who suspended Blalock stood to gain financially from Blalock’s exclusion from the market. As a result,the district court determined that the suspension was a per se violation of the antitrust laws and thus there was no need to inquire into the ‘reasonableness’ of the suspension. However, the district court added that its ruling “does not reach the self-policing activities of defendant LPGA which are less than exclusionary in their effect.”

http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/5382/...paper_5382.pdf

[heddwyn]

Not about Blalock, about this current situation. We didn't get the Canadian Open in the UK and have no idea what the commentators might have said, so a question.

With the Ahn/Chung DQ did the commentators say why during their broadcast, did they elaborate at all? I don't think Larry made a big issue of it, he let people know what the issue had been. The players themselves made it a big issue.

[gxer]

Originally Posted by heddwyn

Not about Blalock, about this current situation. We didn't get the Canadian Open in the UK and have no idea what the commentators might have said, so a question.

With the Ahn/Chung DQ did the commentators say why during their broadcast, did they elaborate at all? I don't think Larry made a big issue of it, he let people know what the issue had been. The players themselves made it a big issue.

Ask Blue, I only watched a portion of the last round as rebroadcast by the golf channel, I didn't hear any mention of it during that time.

PS: Wei (pronounced as Way) Under Par had this information.

http://www.weiunderpar.com/post/race...ns-plague-lpga

[xman5]

Are you in a time machine?

Anyway I think that the ruling is more of a technical issue in the fact that since 2 players were on the committe that decided her fate, that was a no no. She still was caught cheating.

There are still rules in the LPGA about LPGA players competing in non LPGA events, but they seem to be written with the anit trust in mind ( ie if there is no LGPA event that week you have no problem playing elsewhere.

[gxer]

Originally Posted by xman5

Are you in a time machine?

Anyway I think that the ruling is more of a technical issue in the fact that since 2 players were on the committe that decided her fate, that was a no no. She still was caught cheating.

There are still rules in the LPGA about LPGA players competing in non LPGA events, but they seem to be written with the anit trust in mind ( ie if there is no LGPA event that week you have no problem playing elsewhere.

Didn't this at least make you smile?
------------------------
In court hearings last week, the L.P.G.A. said that spotters hidden in woods and stationed on television towers with binoculars had seen Miss Blalock improve her lies. Janie conceded that she may have done so "through carelessness or excitement," but contended that her suspension was an effort to "exterminate" her as the circuit's top money winner.

[cleo]

the "excitement" part is a hoot.

[xman5]

Maybe they should be indicted with Roger Clemens.

[JJfan]

Shi Hyun Ahn is smoking hot!

[gxer]

I actually think this is pretty funny as well.
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Wie Little Mishap - Golf Video | Golf Channel