In chapter eight of the book Justice by Michael Sandel he talks about telos the purpose of

something or the meaning behind it. In the case of Casey Martin’s golf cart, he was a

professional golfer with a bad leg due to a circulatory disorder. Martin asked the PGA

(professional golfers association) for permission to use a golf cart in the tournament to ride

around due to the pain of his leg. The league denied it because it would be unfair for the rest of

the players. They went to court and they ruled that Martin had a right to use a golf cart because

“the change did not fundamentally alter the nature of the activity”[CITATION San09 \p 204 \y \l

1033 ]. In my opinion, the main reason the PGA did not allow Martin to use the cart was because

of the publicity it will give to the sport. If people see Martin a disable person riding around and

playing golf in a tournament, they will think that golf is not actually a sport or that if a disabled

person can the game so can anyone. Sandel states that “the dispute was less about fairness than

about honor and recognition, specifically the desire of the PGA and top golfers that the sport is

recognized and respected as an athletic event”[CITATION San09 \p 206 \y \l 1033 ]. By allowing

Martin to use the cart it makes golf look like one those sports that require little physique

compared to other sports when the telos of the sport requires a lot of skill using clubs to make the

ball go into the hole with as few strokes as possible, which is not that easy. The PGA among

other players used the excuse that it will not be fair to other players because they walk to the

other holes and fatigue comes into play. In court that was proved that by walking it won’t give an

advantage or disadvantage to anyone. The PGA just wanted to cover the fact that golf is a low-

intensity game and if it can be played while riding in a cart the recognition as a sport or athlete

could be questioned.