Listening to sports radio riff on the new LIV golf tour is interesting. Virtually all of them decry the House of Saud and accuse them of running a barbaric society. Phil Mickelson got to feel peak cancel culture for his statement about the government, and also stating what he felt about the PGA Tour. He recently announced he is playing on it. I suppose he finally stopped listening to social media consultants. He should have played in the Masters and the PGA.
Interesting that LeBron James and the NBA don’t get the same treatment from Cancel Culture for their dalliance with China. How about Hollywood and how they suck up to the Chinese? It’s rare to see an original movie. It’s all superheroes and sequels cleaned up for the Chinese market by Chinese sensors.
Isn’t China at least as horrific or perhaps more horrific than Saudi Arabia?
Or, is communism somehow enlightened?
At least the Saudi’s back the US against Iran, and are making nice with Israel. Women are getting more rights though they are far far far away from where they should be to keep pace with the Western Democracies. Gays, not so much. Spare me the morality lectures on Saudi Arabia and the LIV tour….
There is no doubt that for pro golfers who are independent contractors this is about the money even if they aren’t saying as much.
I think this is yet another media-driven "outrage" that is driven by backroom handshakes from the established stakeholders in the PGA and their clients.
It's just another episode of theater, meant for consumption by the rubes. It's also a direct byproduct of that ESG nonsense you spoke about the other day. The idea that everything must be "pure" for our consumption.
This gets to a broader issue. I am about as fatigued as one can be about the constant staging of "outrage" theatrical plays by the media. I long for the days of the dry Wall Street Journal (before it was purchased and "changed") and news being presented without the sensation. Like everything that is overstimulating, we just get numb to it, don't we?
Back to the issue, like you, I'm a big fan of competition. It drives all the competitors to make a better product. It lowers prices. It makes for interesting change where needed. I like it when organization are vying for my dollar, versus that feeling when they know you have no other alternatives.
As for sports in general, I'm on a complete prohibition. I used to be a big "sportsball" fan, and I haven't watched a baseball game in two years, an NFL game in three, and so on. I won't partake in the assassination of my country's values simply because these sports leagues are afraid of the Woke more than their own fan base. I intend to not engage my young daughter in any of it. As far as I can see, my family is now forever detached from these leagues, which is a first. We used to all talk about Cubs/Sox and the Bears. No one talks about it anymore.
And it's a shame, but I will not budge. If you hate me, then I got the message. Whichever ESPN idiot started the social activism in sports idea should get full recognition for the destruction of what used to be an escape from it all. I'm not going to tune and immediately get pissed off with kneeling players, the latest uniform patch, and the various celebrated days that divert my attention from the sport to some cause that is now supposed to be my cross to bear. I have enough stress and problems as it is, and quite frankly I don't care about hundred millionaires complaining about theirs.
Sorry for the rant. This one has been bothering me.
It’s peak insanity. The GM of the Rockets was “cancelled” for having the temerity to tweet that something as benign as standing with Hong Kong. The NBA and players turned their back on him in what I think will ultimately be a dark chapter in the NBA when the history is written. Now shifting gears to PGA, they do not have a players union. One of the only professional leagues I believe. Therefore competition is the only way for them to get player benefits and I am not talking for the premier players but this should have an impact on the players not winning with higher guarantees, etc