An Example of Entitlement

I spent the last five days serving as a volunteer marshal at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. It is the second year that I have been a part of this PGA golf tournament. It is a memorable experience to view a major sporting event close-up. Yesterday I was inside the ropes on 17th fairway and around the green for the final group. I did make a couple of observations. People who associate the consumption of beer with NASCAR races need to attend a golf tournament. I only wish they had established a sobriety checkpoint in the parking lot. Secondly, many of the people attended the event to be seen, rather than to watch golf. This was especially the case for the young females, many of whom were dressed more like hookers than golf fans.

Last year one of the major frustrations was enforcing the PGA's no cell phone policy. Professional golfers are among the most focused athletes I have ever observed. As a result, any sound or movement once they step over the ball can be a major distraction. This year the PGA changed the policy. Cell phones were allowed on the course, as long as they were on silent mode. There were designated cell phone zones where people could go to use their mobile devices. For the most part the policy worked. I never heard a phone go off and saw few people chatting on their homes outside the cell phone areas.

The presence of cell phone did create a whole new issue. The PGA does not allow the taking of pictures or videos during an event. Almost every cell phone is equipped with a camera, hence the problem. As a result, each time a group of golfers approached we were instructed to announced that cell phones could not be used to take pictures or videos. In addition, the electronic signs repeated the message on a regular basis. You would think that people would have gotten the message, but they didn't. On a regular basis I had to remind people, sometimes very firmly. In one case I had to ask a supervisor to intervene. I think you can blame such rude behavior on the sense of entitlement that seem so rampant. In the minds of many people they know the rules, but feel they don't apply to them. As a result they do what they want to do.

I wish I could say that most of the offenders were young people, but that was not the case. Many of them were adults, some cases parents who had their families with them. What kind of a message are we sending to our children when we know the rules, but still bend them? We do have a responsibility to model good behavior and communicate that we not only know the rules but will live by them.