With IBM as a major sponsor of the Masters played at Augusta National Golf Club, many thought that the exclusive club would break with tradition and admit its first female member, IBM's new CEO Virginia Rometty. This is America. Augusta is a private club and should be able to do what it wants.
IBM, on the other hand, is a public corporation that bids on government contracts and major investors include public pension plans. It should insist that they will not tolerate discrimination of any kind in their dealings. Shame on Rometty for not speaking up and setting an example for millions of young girls in the United States. While I am sure that she rose to the top of IBM by not rocking the boat, she is the CEO now. She can afford to do the right thing and speak out against discrimination.
I understand that the sponsorship of Masters allows IBM to have their message seen by an elite, wealthy audience. With our current fractured media market, I can not believe that there is not another media sponsorship that will allow them to reach the same audience. While dangling a chance to play Augusta in front of potential customers could possibly close some sales, the IBM board has already indicated that is not important by choosing Rometty, who prefers scuba diving over golfing.
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