What does the 50th anniversary of the "I Have a Dream" speech have to do with golf? Nothing, but that didn't stop NBCU's Golf Channel from clumsily trying to get into the spirit of the day.
"Tweet your ‘golf’ dream on the 50th anniversary of MLK’s ‘I have a Dream’ speech using: #DreamDay: I have a dream that ________" the channel tweeted.
Also read: Watch the 'I Have a Dream' Speech (Video)
Some of its fans played along, tweeting things like, "I have a dream that no man, regardless of creed, will ever bogey" and "I have a dream that one day, no one in any sport will ever have a handicap."
Actually, those were both from the same guy. Others weighed in to note that the tweet kinda sorta trivialized one of the most momentous moments in the Civil Rights Movement. The tweet, sent to about 220,000 followers, was quickly deleted, and hours later the Golf Channel issued an apology.
“The tweet in question was not appropriate and was pulled minutes after being posted this morning," said a spokesman for the channel. "The original intent was to celebrate this important date in history, and we regret that we failed to meet that standard.”
Also read: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Dream Turns 50: How the Networks Are Covering
By then the tweet had inspired a slew of head-shaking responses.
"I have a dream that super exclusionary sports outlets won't trivialize a major moment in civil rights," wrote one person using the handle @bellwetherevent.
Added hockey writer Bill Hoppe: "Really? Comparing civil rights to GOLF? Terrible."
"I have a dream that the Golf Channel won't do any more tweets as ludicrous as this one," tweeted @PrimlyStable.
The Golf Channel didn't immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.