Courtesy of The Root
When I heard that a golfer had made a “joke” about Tiger Woods and fried chicken, I had to double-check to make sure it wasn’t 1997 all over again. That was the year Frank “Fuzzy” Zoeller was asked for his thoughts about Woods’ impending success at the Masters, and he joked about Woods serving “fried chicken” or “collard greens” to celebrate his win. The remark cost Zoeller his primary sponsor, Kmart, and will likely overshadow his athletic successes in his obituary some day.
Yet despite what the comment cost Zoeller, another golfer just made a similar one. Here’s hoping bad ’90s fashion doesn’t come roaring back with the same vengeance as bad ’90s racial humor. According to reports, Spanish golfer Sergio Garcia and Woods have been feuding for years, so Garcia was jokingly asked if he would be inviting Woods over for dinner at next month’s U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in Pennsylvania. Garcia replied, “We will have him ’round every night. We will serve fried chicken.”
For someone for whom English is not a first language, I guess Garcia should be applauded for sounding as ignorantly racist as some people who are born here and are taught racial stereotypes from the time they are potty-trained.
Woods was rightly offended by the remark. Garcia, in turn, issued the standard nonapology apology, saying, “I apologize for any offense that may have been caused by my comment onstage during the European Tour Players’ Awards dinner. I answered a question that was clearly made towards me as a joke with a silly remark, but in no way was the comment meant in a racist manner.”
