On the Verge of Revolution, LPGA Commish and PR Effort is MIA

It’s not news to anyone that our troubled economy has hit the sports industry very hard, paralyzing many areas of its businesses.

I know, I know…most industries and job markets in America have suffered tremendously since the bottom fell out last fall. But because past economic slowdowns had bypassed sports, the industry, as a whole, had severely underestimated the impact of the most recent downturn.

As a result, the sports industry was unprepared for the universal spending and hiring freezes by its clients, sponsors, broadcasters, fans, politicians, etc.

In essence, things are pretty bad.

However, like every other industry in America, the financial impact on sports has occurred to various degrees. Some sports leagues like the NFL and MLB may lose a few percentage points of its projected annual revenues, but, when it’s all said and done, pro football and baseball will still both rake in a couple of billion dollars for its fiscal year.

Other sports organizations will not be so fortunate and are treating its 2009 and 2010 seasons as “make or break” campaigns (or, at least, should be) – specifically, the LPGA.

Perhaps no organization has been more crippled by our Nation’s financial mess than the LPGA…and no organization’s public relations efforts has been as minimal or impotent – a bad combination.

The future and direction of the LPGA have been under intense scrutiny of late, especially with the recent announcement of another dropped tournament – the tour’s seventh since 2007.

Sponsors continue to either cut back on spending or eliminate it all together like McDonald’s, which recently ended its 16-year run as title sponsor of the tour’s championship.

The LPGA is fighting through a financial hardship that’s threatening the existence of the 59-year old association that, by the way, is the oldest professional women’s sports organization in America.

So with the walls rattling and the foundation shaking, the LPGA is staring right at a ceiling that’s about to collapse and its public relations rescue plan is no where to be found.

Loren Ochoa, the current number-one ranked female golfer in the world, has been very outspoken regarding the tour’s situation and is apparently serving as the player’s representative to the media.

“We, as players, want to be more involved in what is happening, and we want to see the tour going in a better direction,” she says. “There’s not much we can do. I believe they will do the best for us and hopefully things will start moving in a good direction, because we are worried that we’re losing tournaments and we want to get back on a good track.”

Golfweek magazine reported Monday that up to 15 of the LPGA’s star players, including Ochoa, Paula Creamer and Cristie Kerr, met recently to discuss the tour’s future and submitted a signed letter to its board expressing dissatisfaction with its commissioner, Carolyn Bivens.

Golf World magazine reported the next day that five of the seven players who sit on the LPGA’s 13-member board were in favor of removing Bivens as commissioner.

Ochoa and all the tour players obviously have a right to be concerned about the status and future of the LPGA. But publicly criticizing and questioning the direction of the tour and undercutting its commissioner will only further damage the organization and encourage sponsors to be more cautious and hesitant to spend money in an already tight economic landscape.

So with the PR fire now raging on all burners, Bivens has yet to stand up and issue any kind of statement or position regarding the tour’s crisis and has, astonishingly, been unavailable for comment.

Bivens, it’s been recently reported, will not even be present for the U.S. Women’s Open occurring this week in Bethlehem, PA.

So basically, revolution is in the air for the LPGA and its commissioner/leader is MIA.

The LPGA did release a statement through its chief communications officer stating, “It’s not in the best interest of women’s golf to openly discuss internal matters…”

Oh boy, are they in trouble.

A press release that weakly acknowledges the tour’s serious issues and problems is only going to make matters worse by dividing the tour even further apart.

Unless Bivens plans to resign in the near future or her termination process is already in effect, a major PR plan must be launched right now to save the LPGA.

In a show of strength and solidarity, Bivens needs to make a public appearance at The Open with Ochoa, Creamer and other tour stars by her side and address the media.

Collectively, they must represent themselves as a single group in support of one another with assurance the tour will ride out the storm and rebuild itself.

From that point, the tour can assess all of the PR damage incurred these last few weeks and begin the healing process.

But if Bivens, or someone, doesn’t act soon with a PR strategy, the LPGA will crumble before our very eyes.