We’re doing a short one today, just because I want to join the chorus of people ranting about this morning’s news that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are merging.
It turns out that major sports leagues like the PGA Tour are really only concerned about “integrity” up until they find out how to make money when their reality changes.
Here’s PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan just last year:
Monahan was particularly biting on the money coming from the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of “sports washing” for using such a tour to take attention away from its history of human rights abuses.
He was asked how big of an issue the source of funding was.
“It’s not an issue for me, because I don’t work for the Saudi Arabian government,” Monahan said, a veiled dig at the notion of being a free agent. “But it probably is an issue for players who chose to go and take that money. I think you have to ask yourself a question: Why?
“Why is this group spending so much money — billions of dollars — recruiting players and chasing a concept with no possibility of a return?” he said. “At the same time, there’s been a lot of questions, a lot of comments, about the growth of the game. And I ask, ‘How is this good for the game?’”
So I guess that money’s fine now. Neat!
Now let’s do sports betting. Just five years ago, the PGA Tour was barnstorming around the country with the NBA and Major League Baseball saying that they needed to get “integrity fees" if sports betting were to be regulated. Otherwise, their sports would be forever compromised, they argued. Those fees were suggested to be as much as 1% of sports betting revenue, and they deserved this money because of the threat to the sports’ integrity.
The PGA Tour was part of such efforts in at least Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia. The Tour often got left out as NBA and MLB got the headlines, but make no mistake, they were there.
Shockingly, the PGA Tour is doing just fine without integrity fees and is now helping build sportsbooks at courses.
So, integrity is only a concern — in gambling and human rights — unless the PGA Tour can make money. Which I think we all knew all along.
The PGA Tour and other leagues are worried about money, not 'integrity'
You having a Claude Raines' moment, you're "shocked" to find out money talks ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjbPi00k_ME