Joel Beall,, Golf Digest
Professional golf handled its schism the way it tries to rectify all its woes, which is by throwing money at the problem, which is fine except that’s why the game’s here in the first place. Greed, self-preservation, entitlement, those are the masters the sport has served during the game’s civil war—and what has caused the civil war. Wednesday’s announcement that private equity is infusing up to $3 billion into the newly created PGA Tour Enterprises, a new for-profit venture, only underlines that reality. Distilling the complex nature of the tour’s new relationship with the Strategic Sports Group is somewhat impossible, but for those looking for a one-sentence explainer, it’s a deal that financially rewards players who did not defect to LIV Golf while allowing the tour to refill its bleeding war chest. It’s interesting only in the vein that some are riveted in how the rich get richer.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely this is the solution, because greed, self-preservation and entitlement are not financial issues. They are issues of the heart and soul, and no dollar sign fixes that. Eventually the sense of privilege returns because it is a demon that can never be fed. Besides, there’s another entity that holds the key to this fight, and it’s a party both sides seem brazenly obtuse to its power. For a second, put aside that the tour remains in competition with a foreign kingdom capable of sending fleets of Brink’s trucks to any golfer it wishes, or that Wednesday’s deal likely signaled peace isn’t coming anytime soon, and focus on privilege. Because for the better part of two years, the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, players and most of the constituents involved with both have taken for granted the privilege of your investment, of your attention and time and passion. It’s not capital or leverage or legacy that’s important; what makes any of this matter is you.
That may seem hard to believe, considering how sidelined and hopeless many onlookers have felt in this stupid feud. But in one collective voice it is the fans who will ultimately decide how this plays out. Fans are the ones who give what’s going on consequence and meaning, and why companies are willing to spend millions to associate themselves with an ecosystem that emits an emotional pull. That’s why LIV Golf has been a failure, because, for all its claims of disruption, by almost every metric available, it has not gained your care. It is a circus without a crowd, the most expensive member-guest ever produced.
And yet, the PGA Tour and many players are just as guilty, catering to their own membership over the common man. Why the stakeholders have missed this point—why they care more about themselves rather than where their actions are taking golf as a whole—remains a point of great frustration.
Yes, Joel, we the fans have been not only ignored, but taken for granted by all parties engaged in this battle. The Tour players, especially the LIV defectors and Greg Norman and Phil Mickelson, have done irreparable harm to the game. Millions of golf fans have become disillusioned as we realize that the players and management, and even some in the golf media don’t give a damn about us. And we will not forget.
They should all be reminded that not one minute of advertising will be sold to a single company if there are no eyeballs watching the events. It all starts there. Ask LIV for confirmation of that inconvenient truth.
The Head Nut
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