Posted on: Thursday, May 31, 2001

Editorial
Disabled golfer ruling a limited, sensible call

It might be a useful parlor game to conjure up a horrifying list of "what-if's" in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that disabled professional golfer Casey Martin can use a cart when competing.

What next? Anorexics in the sumo ring? Flyweights on the professional football field? Competitive swimmers with fins?

All of this is fun to speculate about, but the plain fact is the Supreme Court made a specific, correct ruling in a specific case. Martin is clearly a competitive golfer who could not gain access to the pro tour because it would not let him use a cart. He has a disorder in his right leg that makes walking painful and difficult.

The high court ruled that under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Martin has a right to equal access to contests for which he is otherwise qualified.

It was a narrow ruling, applied to the specific facts of Martin's case. It is unlikely that disabled Americans of all stripes will now demand access to participation in competitive sports for which they are not otherwise qualified.

And that is an important distinction.

For instance, if a person had a disability that prevented him, say, from swimming, surely he could not force his way into a swim meet under the disability law. It is purely a matter of equal access to persons with equal qualifications.

But it may be that some persons with disabilities who have been arbitrarily kept out of competition for which they are qualified will now have a fresh chance to test themselves.

If that happens, both sport and society will benefit.