By the time I finish writing this a Senate hearing not getting enough notice will have started. However, Senator Blumenthal’s opening remarks got leaked and he’s not pulling any punches. To use a golf pun, he’s “teeing off” on the Saudis and the leaders of the PGA and DP (European) professional golf tours for the recently announced deal with the Saudi backed LIV golf tour. Blumenthal (and RoJo too? Wow.) are going to smash the PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, his cronies, the Saudi Public Investment fund and if not named by extension the entire issue of “sports washing” (using sports to distract from/cover up bad, despicable & sometimes illegal behavior) for PR purposes.
Received an excerpt from Senator Blumenthal’s opening remarks for tomorrow's Congressional hearing on proposed deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia: pic.twitter.com/ZPorRMIzaj
— Joel Beall (@JoelMBeall) July 11, 2023
If only they’d borrow the awesome at demolishing corporate a$$holes Representative Katie Porter from the House to act as committee counsel to do then minutes or so of questioning. If each Democrat would give up a minute of their allotted ten minutes she could make the dudes who show up (a couple of those called including Jay Monahan have ducked appearing) wish they’d never been born. Still, Blumenthal is no slouch and crazy as he is since it looks like Ron Johnson of all people is also ticked off about all this it’s not going to be a fun day for the PGA leadership.
Let’s backtrack some so you’ll understand why even if you don’t care about golf or sports in general. Sports is a big deal in countries all over the world. Even poor ones. People take part in games every day. The reason soccer is the world’s #1 sport is that it costs nothing to play. Kids that could never afford an actual soccer ball will make one, maybe by stuffing a t-shirt with rags and use that for a ball. Others simply run. Some long distance runners spent so long running with no shoes they’ve run that way (and won) in the highest international competitions. But even in poor countries, people gather around radios or if they’re lucky TV sets to watch sports. It IS a big deal culturally virtually everwhere that’s at least third world status or better. And in lots of countries also big business. And not just for professional sports.
The popularity of sports has long make it an opportunity to do some so-called sports washing. Let me put it a different way. Think of some oil company based in the U.S. or other western country issuing large grants for “green initiatives” of some sort. There’s nothing altruistic about it. It’s just a way to soften the criticism they so deserve. But to a certain extent it works. Sports can and has been used the same way. Back during the Cold War the USSR engaged in huge formal “doping” programs so its athletes would shine in international competitions. (So did Putin’s Russia) China has too. Dictatorships have spent mightily to host major international sporting events like Olympic Games or World Cups, all so they can showcase how “successful” their country/system is.
It might not have always worked as much as they hoped, but it’s helped some. It’s gotten some countries that weren’t exactly models of freedom and prosperity (for average folks) to offer support. My point is that sports washing isn’t new, and that it to a certain degree pays off. Which brings us to Saudi Arabia and golf, and more recently to it’s financial back of a new pro golf league. A
It’s not like Saudi Arabia has had a good image here and in other free countries since like forever. There’s a long, ugly history of a Royal Family living lavishly while most of the population scraped by despite the vast wealth their oil reserves provided. Oh, they would make a show with a handful of nice cities but overall it sucked to be a regular person there. If you were male. If you were a woman? It was appalling. Brutally repressive. However, geopolitics required a lot of nations including our own to do business with them, for both economic and (militarily) strategic reasons. Nothing new. Free countries have held their noses and made deal with dictatorial, even harsh regimes for pragmatic, if ugly reasons and tried not to think about it too much. Saudi Arabia was such a place.
Then came Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait and the realization he was not only eyeing those Saudi oilfields but had the capability to even take them and guess what? Their leaders were not just eager, but desperate for us to to help them. They readily agreed to a far larger western military presence than they’d ever been willing to consider before. The Kingdom became the staging area for the force that would drive Saddam’s Iraq out of Kuwait, and cripple his ability to threaten other countries. Including an particularly the Kingdom.
Alas, having all those (mostly) westerners didn’t go over well with the average Saudi. In fact, they were downright furious that so many westerners (and for them all westerners were Americans) to “defile” “the land of the prophet. Weird. I recall a passage from the Koran I was taught when I became a Shriner over forty years ago: “And if any shall demand protection from thee, grant him protection that he might hear the word of the prophet. And after, give him a safe conduct that he may return home again safely.” So we went, protected their entire country and its sites that are so holy to Islam, and the “thanks” that we got was to be reviled. Like I said, weird.
Why it matters is that the Royal Family and the Crown Prince, the leaders of the Kingdom took notice. It led to a quiet, diplomatic version of “thanks and get out. Don’t let the doorknob hit you on the a$$.” And it marked the beginning of a shift between them and us. As well as a ramping up of exporting the most extreme version of Islam throughout the region, shelling out boatloads of money for the infamous “Madrassas.” Which in turn led to 9/11. But Baby Bush covered their butts starting within hours of the attack, getting Saudis out of our country as quickly and quietly as possible. I could write several articles about how the Saudi involvement was downplayed and parts even covered up by the Bush 43 administration but I’ve made my point.
So there’s all that. Then we have their brutal war against Yemen. with all the war crimes. (Yemen? Why?) And of course MBS’s having ordered the hacking up of WaPo journalist and U.S. resident Jamal Kashoggi inside their Turkish embassy. So MBS (who was NOT supposed to become the new ruler I must note) and Saudi Arabia’s image problem got even worse.
To be clear, using golf for a little sports washing has been something the Saudis have done for a number of years now, having a handful of golf events over their way. In addition to huge prize money some of golf’s major stars, big name “draws” also got appearance fees just to show up and play. Yes, they took some crap over it but since such events were limited in number they knew golf news, and world news in generally would quickly push it into the background so they took the money like some streetwalker hustling “Johns.”
Still, while it did die down some the uproar over the murder of Kashoggi combined with the continued war crimes being committed in Yemen have presented a problem for Saudi rule Mohammed bin Salman. He decided to ramp up his sports washing using golf.
Golf truly is an ancient game. As it evolved through the centuries yes, if became something that lots of people didn’t have the money or time to indulge in but it has steadily grown in worldwide popularity. It also has a set of traditions that make it an ideal choice. I’ve long believed that golf and ruby stand apart from other sports. However fiercely people compete, those who cheat are shunned and once a competition is over the competitors shake hands, and in the case of rugby get together for a helluva party. Sportsmanship reign supreme. Golf is also unique in that players even at the highest level including Major Championships call penalties on themselves! It’s even happened when they were in contention to win a tournament.
So golf would seem a great vehicle to do some sports washing, if a dictator is willing to spend the money to make a big splash, Say by creating a new League and stealing most if not all the top players from the two major pro tours (PGA and DP) by promising gobs of guaranteed money whether they played well or not, fewer tournaments to have to play in to collect all that (blood) money and even shorter tournaments. 54 holes instead of the standard four days/72 holes of the long existing pro golf format. (FYI, it’s that 54 holes which gives LIV its name – LIV is 54 in Roman Numerals)
What they needed was someone to front the venture and Gregg Norman, who for a good three decades has had a chip on his shoulder the size of a California Redwood was their man. No one can deny he was a great player. He dominated for a while and set a then record for time spent at #1 in world rankings. He seemed tragically snakebit in some big events, but still wound up with a couple of Majors. And win or lose he did so with class. He was well liked and admired, but he wanted to be more. To be beloved, like the game’s greatest. Bobby Jones. Ben Hogan. Arnold Palmer. Jack Nicklaus. Norman thought in any discussion of the games greatest his name should be in there. However, successful as he was he simply didn’t belong in such discussions.
Norma was butt-hurt by that, and also that he didn’t have a place at the table of the PGA’s (or USGA’s) management when it came to making major decisions. He decided to try and create his own tour, the “Shark Tour” (his nickname was the Shark) and it never got off the ground. His image suffered and he’s nursed a grudge ever since. Hell, he’s dreamed, even lusted after a chance to cripple the PGA and pro golf for not giving him what he believed he was due. But the Saudis had not just the will but the money to create an entity that might, just might topple the long established golf order. LIV.
I could write reams about the leadup and the defection of PGA stars starting with Phil Mickelson who admittedly I once greatly admired. What matters is that although north of 50, and despite his incredible win of his sixth major and becoming the oldest major winner Phil has been past his prime for some years now. He’d have been a huge draw on the senior tour which became branded the Champion’s Tour but Phil has always had quite an ego himself. And despite all his career earning (near the top of the list) and even more money from endorsements it wasn’t enough for him. He thought he and other major tour stars deserved even more of the pro-golf pie and the things the PGA did in the wake of the failed Shark Tour wasn’t enough. Phil wanted to force more changes and saw LIV as the way to do it. And collect a couple hundred million dollars over four or five years in the process.
So the war began. Phil provided “cover” for other PGA stars, and while most remained loyal to the PGA some big name, younger ones with high world rankings jumped ship and joined LIV. As a result they were banned from PGA and DP tour events, and also no longer got world ranking points which would impact their ability to play in majors. The Masters, the U.S. Open, the (British) Open and PGA championships would allow those who qualified via other means (if they still had enough points to remain in the top 50), past winner’s exemptions and so forth but not all would, and the number would go down as the the exemptions in some of those events expired.
Lawsuits were filed. Relationships between players who’d been friends became awkward, sometimes strained and in some cases outright hostile. Especially with the ban on defectors being projected to be for life. But LIV had its inaugural season, with not great attendance and no TV contract. This year promised more of the same until a last minute deal was struck to carry events on the CW channel. (CW? Golf? WTF?) Not that it mattered because even though this year they got to be on TV LIV’s ratings sucked. Attendance wasn’t really any better than the first year either. The Saudi Public Investment Fund was losing money hand over fist and was sure to lose still more.
It looked for all the world like the established pro golf order was winning the war. By every measure they in fact were. Attendance. TV ratings. Revenue. Image, especially with the gobs of money donated to local charities all over the country. Yes, the lawsuits, one of which might lead to some uncomfortable stuff that might cause a govt. look into their tax exempt status was a concern but it seemed like the bleeding of major stars was pretty much done. And the PGA in particular had a big crop of talented, marketable stars.
So with all that, and boss man Jay Monahan wrapping himself up in the mantle of 9/11 and sticking it to LIV every chance he got (to his players he famously asked when they ever had to apologize for being part of the PGA Tour!) it’s easy to understand why last month’s stunning announcement that the PGA and DP tours would merge with LIV and form a new venture that would be backed by the Saudi PIF shook golf to its very foundation. Secret meeting had been held for a couple of months, with only a literal handful of people knowing about or involved in them. The dude from LIV’s backer, the PIF (read that MBS), Monahan’s counterpart from the DP tour, Monahan and a couple of his best pals.
About those two guys, who like Monahan are members of the PGA Board. (Hell, he was major in getting them there!) One, in “purely coincidentally-how-could-anyone-think-personal-gain-factored-in?” just so happens to be one of the top few attorneys in the country, if not the world that specializes in complex multi-national mergers. The other is a Hedge Fund manager with a similar specialization. Golly gee, how could anyone think personal gain in commissions/fees for them and their firms might have had anything to do with this secretly negotiated deal?
Of COURSE they stand to make a bundle and mark my words, a way was worked out to funnel a ton of money to Monahan too!
I should note this deal is far from complete. There are very basic, yet also huge and crucial questions for which there are no answers. Or for which those who secretly cut the deal are refusing to provide, at least for now. The players, all all the Tours want answers and they aren’t coming. If there were tensions between LIV players and the other tours they’re about to get ramped up. There’s a Ryder Cup being held this fall and there are LIV players who would likely be on either the U.S. or European team who by god want to be out there. Some on the PGA tour say maybe, depending on… whatever and some say hell no. That these guys defected, created a huge mess and for damned sure shouldn’t be just welcomed back into the fold without paying and in a way that will hurt. Even if that means not fielding the best possible team in Rome.
But there’s something else. While all the litigation has been dropped by both sides (so we are told) whether it can be refiled is a question who’s answer is murky. Supposedly not but no one has produced a court filing saying any dropped lawsuit won’t be refiled, or that a similar one filed in its place if the merger falls apart. So Monahan’s big reason “justifying” the deal, that the PGA/DP tours couldn’t afford to fight LIV in court is dubious at best.
Then there’s what I believe is the real reason Monahan betrayed the very Tour he represents and its players. That tax-exemption. The PGA has if I’m not mistaken given out a couple of billion to local charities over the decades with plenty more to come. They could trot out local charity leaders from all over the country: all kinds of people to support them. Leaders who are women as well as men. White as well as minorities. You name the category/demographic and there are multiple examples of leaders and the people/causes they serve. Truly worthy charities that would be screwed without that money they get every year from the PGA. So while the Tour does take in vast sums of money, from what I know it’s leaders don’t as a rule act like IOC members Hoovering up every expensive perk and piece of SWAG they can get.
No, I think the potential loss of the tax exemption is a red-herring. The irony is that this secretly negotiated deal has led to Congress starting to hold hearings on whether that tax exemption should be revoked! It’s like Deputy Barney Fife shooting himself in the foot.
This whole situation is ugly and not just for golf. As Blumenthal notes, we have good reason to look at what’s going on with golf to be sure BUT in a larger context of sports washing.
There are some ugly questions that need to be asked, but I fear they might not be. Or that now that golf has crossed their version (a large water hazard between them and the green) Rubicon the PGA players including and especially the stars will get so much guaranteed money thrown at them by the Saudis they say “f**kit” and give in.
If that happen, if pro golf falls in that rest assured every other pro sport (and it will filter down to college/amateur levels) will fall like dominos. And something that, as Blumenthal notes is a positive (well, much of the time at least) part of culture will be forever ruined.
The love of money truly is the root of all evil.
Hi Dennis. I really do wish that you would a summary paragraph before going into all of the long convoluted details.
I understand where you’re coming from. And, while I don’t want to come off as snotty about it I thought the final draft with its opening paragraph and the embedded tweet did what you ask. And THEN I started providing the longer, detailed stuff. Maybe I still blew it.
No you didn’t blow it. Your intro was on the mark.
I’m aware of my reputation for writing long articles (began over on Kos) with more details than people often want to take time to read. Painfully aware in fact and I do pay attention to critics that have called me out on it. Perhaps if I were a big name in progressive blogging folks would truly want to read something that take ten, or even fifteen minutes to read. I’ve never been that. I’m pretty much just a small fish in the pond. Still, I have a streak of idealism in me, and admit that it bugs me that progressives like poking fun at conservatives, especially classic MAGAs about being too dumb, and not wanting to actually learn about some topic. People who barely will read more than a headline and certainly not more than a paragraph. Or two at most.
That’s what’s fueled my penchant for writing long stuff that provides both context and details. That fellow progressives actually take pride in being especially well informed. Clearly I’m either wrong about that, or wrong in the sense that no matter how good a long article is some relative unknown like me doesn’t rate the time it takes to read, and then think over such a thing unless the author (someone other than me) is highly known and regarded. So, with (sometimes to the point of exasperation, not that I can blame her) Ursula and some others have coached me to keep things “short & sweet.” I’ll be the first to admit it’s only been partially “taken” by me. Some topics, things on which I have particular interest and sometimes real expertise are complicated. They cry out (to me) for a true, in-depth look. So oftentimes when faced with the choice between something “catchy” that’s short enough to be damned near generic or digging in on at least part of a topic/issue I err towards the latter.
Want to shudder? As long as many things I’ve written are, they are almost never first or even second drafts. While still lengthy they are the result of being cut down and by a lot. Over half as much as I believed was necessary to truly inform readers on something. There are things, such as the current issue of providing cluster munitions to Ukraine on which I can speak with considerable knowledge. I’ve mentally composed draft after draft but not even bothered to start typing because I haven’t yet figured out how to lay things out (both pro and con) in something even in the parking lot of the ballpark of acceptable length to the average reader of this site. Or over on Kos or any other blog.
It IS important and current and I haven’t given up on posting something, but I’ve already put in hours just trying to get to a point where I might have something no longer than the article that prompted all this. At some point, as has happened in the past someone else will write something meaning no one will bother with what I have to say, or I know in my heart I’ve already wasted too much time for something few will read. I’m a big boy and can take criticism. I even appreciate it when it’s constructive and/or well intentioned. However I see little point in setting myself up for it some of the time and as I indicated wind up not posting anything at all.
I have however tried a few variations on doing what Nonya suggested. Writing a sort of summary and then following up with context and details. Not terribly successfully I might add. I thought this time I’d nailed it. Clearly not. However, knowing at least one person out there got what I’d tried to do means something. That tells me that just as there are surely other who agree with Nonya, there are others who feel as you do. It’s just that not everyone speaks up. So maybe some of Ursula’s coaching pays off at times.
I like the first part and the rest of the article Denis. And I do read through every single one you put up. I find that I learn something new every time too. So, thank you for a great article.
I didn’t have time to write a short letter so I wrote a long one instead- mark Twain 🙂
I have never played golf other than the putt putt kind. I used to read about it in the paper back in the day, so I knew who the big players were. I might even watch a bit on a Sunday afternoon if someone I was interested was in the final group. Then Tiger came along and raised the profile of the game tremendously. People who never watched before started tuning in. This went on for about a decade or so, but when Tiger was in decline interest in the game declined and certainly mine. I couldn’t name more than 3 maybe 4 current golfers. The black eye from the LIV tournament and the Saudis turns me off even more. I think NASCAR is going through a similar issue with declining TV ratings. Neither of these sports have adapted well to how the younger generation watches TV or attends events.
Formula One car raciing and Association Football, worldwide, have both succumbed to Saudi money. But the participants can still speak out and protest, for example former multiple World Champion and current contender Lewis Hamilton ran his car with a rainbow theme at the Saudi Grand Prix, and convinced his team, Mercedes Benz to change their team color from the long traditional German silver to black to highlight the Black Lives Matter movement.
The excuses pile up faster than fall leaves. I recall Dennis Johnson, whom I used to also follow, mention the reason he caved for the blood money. He stated he needed to take care of his family. What a phuckin joke. Here’s a guy, multiple winner, including majors on tour, married to the daughter of the greatest hockey player on earth, worth God only knows how many millions, crying poor???? What a bunch of clueless a$$holes. No wonder they took the money. Evil, greedy, self centered basterds. FACT. May they go down in their private planes for all the wretched poor the Saudis have murdered. Remember those towers in NYC? During the next tour date near NYC, they should stop and take a pi$$ on the memorial to those killed that day. They do it everytime they tee it up for those fascists in the desert. Fact!
Dustin, not Dennis Johnson. Dennis Johnson was a helluva pro basketball player btw. I always admired DJ and he was well liked amongst his peers. A lot of them were saddened by his decision to defect to LIV. But everything else you said resonates with me. I recall years ago when Juwan Howard was negotiating a new contract with the Wizards (I lived next to DC back then) and Abe Pollin who was never a big spender (it wasn’t the richest of franchises and he gambled a lot of his fortune building them that wonderful arena downtown) swallowed hard and offered eight million dollars. A big contract even now but HUGE back then, and unheard of for a journeyman level player. Not that Howard wasn’t terrific and one of those better than average guys any team would love to have. The type playoff teams and especially those that contend for championships have to have (at least a couple of them) but he wasn’t of the caliber that could put a team on his back and carry them to winning a playoff series. He seemed personable and was engaged in the community and hugely popular and the DC area mounted a campaign to show the love to him. But Miami came along and offered I think for or five milion more and he jumped at it, and literally told reporters “I have to be able to feed my family!” Suddenly he was no longer beloved, even when the Miami deal was invalidated by David Stern because they did something wrong during the process and Howard remained in DC and for that huge sum. Oh, he was still cheered but never again with the love and passion as before. “Feed my family” my a$$! My point is Johnson’s line of b.s. was nothing we haven’t heard before.
He’s always been two things – enormously talented at golf and laid back. Ok, rich too. Probably what appealed to him about LIV was playing fewer events and even then for only three days/54 holes instead of 4/72 and another seven or eight weeks at least out of the year. And still collecting as much as on the PGA Tour. The fewer events was a factor for Mickelson too, and I’m sure for others. Too bad we’ll probably never find out how they reacted when LIV announced earlier this year there were plans to add as many as a half dozen events. And in more places around the world meaning more travel! I think right then and there if they’d been able many of the defectors would have come crawwling back to the PGA, begging forgivness, promising never to pull such a stunt again too so they could be reinstated. I for one saw the plan to increase events as an admission by LIV they were tired of throwing so much money away and wanted to find new places to take their circus that might generate new fans. Lots of them so at least they could get in the ballpark of breaking even.
Still, I must note the “deal” isn’t actually done. In business terms it seems what’s been signed is a “Letter of Intent”, such as say an airline needing to expand their fleet or replace aged planes deciding which manufacturer they want to buy from. Then sitting down with that manufacturer and talking in general terms about what the airline wanted/needed, what the manufacturer can provide and when and some general notion of a price range. IF at that point it looks like they can do business a Letter of Intent is signed and the airline comes up with specific terms on what it needs and when, the manufacturer determines how well than can provide what the airline specifically is asking to buy and from there once the details of the propsal are set negotiate price. But either side will have an out of some sort up until an actual contract is signed. That’s where this agreement between the PGA, DP and LIV tours is. A general agreement to work out the details but well short of a deal with specific terms everyone will have abide by.
By the way, if that a$$wipe prince saw these expressions of free speech, and we went into his domain, well…we’d all be serving long prison sentences…at best.
Thanx Denis. I called him DJ for so long I forgot his first name. I know all about Dennis Johnson. I’m a Carolina fan and lived on the cape in the 80s when the celts and Lakers went back and forth. I saw Michael Jordan play against the Champs in the garden in 86. The last time I was in Vegas I saw Dennis at a craps table. That tells you how long it’s been. I follow the golfers who didn’t take the money like Rory. Phuck the others. Of course it’s silly to expect people who have spent all their time hitting golf balls to have deep introspective lives. Loyalty? Principles? Just words in a dictionary to many.
Thanks Denis, excellent piece. I must admit that I couldn’t give a whit about any sport that’s not played on ice so I really didn’t pay any attention to the LIV-PGS thing other than to know even from the absolute sidelines it sucked for true fans. But now I have learned so much. And knowing what a money-hungry pig piece of shit Gary Bettman is it seems clear that ice in Saudi notwithstanding, I could EASILY see MBS buying off Gary (easy to do, he would kill his mom for 5 cents!) and suddenly the NHL (as Canadian a global thing as there EVER was!) would be the property of the Saudis! YECH, and appalling to its core! Thank you Denis, and thank you Michael Blumenthal!!
Tampa Bay vs. Las Vegas, hockey really is dead.