I Think so…
Since the cancelation of the Player’s Championship due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the PGA Tour has gone on a downward spiral.
First, they wanted to be the first sport to defy the pandemic with a big comeback. Jay Monahan adopted some draconian rules, instituted some flawed restrictions, and he got his wish.
The first event was the Charles Schwab Challenge and not to outdo himself, Jay Monahan decide that it was a wise decision to save an honorary tee time for convicted felon, George Floyd.
Probably because he thought the Black Lives Matter thugs were going to campout outside the gates at Colonial, so he wanted to be as woke as possible to avoid such embarrassment. The problem with Jay’s move is that it was embarrassing.
Of all the people they could have chosen for an honorary tee time, the PGA Tour chooses a convicted felon, drug addict, and domestic violence perpetrator. Nice example for the kids to follow.
After that, it was the ‘White Guilt’ trip. Every tournament the likes of Cameron Champ, Tony Finau, and Harold Varner III, were the faces of the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour took it upon itself to lecture fans on racial issues instead of just entertaining the crowds.
Lumping everyone in the same group has never been smart, but when the PGA Tour jumped into the woke stratosphere, they did not know what they were getting into.
Today’s professional golf is about talent, regardless of color or race, unfortunately the PGA Tour wants to tell you, the fan, that you are a racist, but still wants your money.
Of course, this was a flash in the pan. These gentlemen should have known this gig was not going to last forever. The PGA Tour did not get boycotted and that is all they wanted. Mission accomplished Jay!
The fact remains that Finau, Champ, and Varner III, are remarkable golf players and do not need the PGA Tour to equate their talent with their race. It is cheap and unfair.
When you have to try to sell your product with specific messaging your product is probably not that good to begin with. The PGA Tour has gone out of their way to let us know they are not a bunch of racists, and their mission is to make golf as inclusive as possible.
Sure, as long as you do not try to play the private clubs that nobody else can play. Stick to the municipal and public courses and they will be as inclusive as they can be. The PGA Tour is full of it.
They have peddled inclusiveness since 2014, but it was not until the Black Lives Matter movement threatened their livelihood, the PGA Tour actually felt the heat.
Then it came LIV and Greg Norman. For months, PGA Tour Commissioner, Jay Monahan, has said, in not so many words, any player wishing to play on the LIV Golf League can do it at their own peril.
To be honest, I have always thought of Jay Monahan as a petty thug. He always walks around like he is better than anyone else, like a bully searching for a fight. He reminds me of a mafia “Don.”
He got a prize fight coming with Greg Norman and with the players that wish to play LIV events and cash-in big. Of course, the top 10 players in the world who make millions, not only on the course, but with major endorsement deals, are sticking with Monahan.
People like Justin Thomas, Scottie Scheffler, and Rory McIlroy are nothing more than Monahan’s lapdogs, spreading his lousy talking points.
Most of these players do not know anything about geopolitics and get their information from Twitter or Facebook, so for them to whine about the Saudi Arabian government without the facts means nothing.
Where were Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, or even the ‘has been’ Fred Couples, when the PGA Tour was giving honorary tee times to a convicted felon?
Has the PGA Tour ever given an honorary tee time to a fallen law enforcement officer? Not that I can remember, despite the fact police officers provide protection to these bunch during golf tournaments.
Furthermore, spare me the outrage over Saudi Arabia and its human rights record. China’s is not that good either, but the NBA does business with the Chinese Communist Party and nobody screams outrage.
Nike, a big sponsor of players on the PGA Tour, makes its apparel in China, and those making millions from wearing Nike apparel on the PGA Tour do not seem to care about China’s dismal human rights record. Either that or they choose to ignore it for the sake of making money, which is even worse.
Why McIlroy and other professional players continue to use apparel made by Nike? After all, this apparel is manufacture in China under awful conditions, in what many have called child labor camps and sweatshops.
The Chinese Communist Party is an equal violator of human rights, but I do not hear Jay Monahan complaining about it or McIlroy giving up his big Nike contract. Nothing but hypocrites.
The PGA Tour has very little room to claim the moral high ground over Greg Norman or the LIV Golf League.
The PGA Tour has shown its true nature during this spat with Greg Norman. Their behavior and reaction has made me questioned their ‘non-profit’ status and welcome any investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
I believe the PGA Tour, by threatening independent contractors with their livelihoods, is breaking antitrust laws, and behaving like a business and not a non-profit organization.
The PGA Tour and DP World Tour are acting as if they have an absolute ownership of golf. I believe they are attempting to monopolize professional golf and are using some questionable practices to keep PGA Tour and DP World Tour members on a tight leach.
A clear example is how Jay Monahan denied all the waivers for players to play the first LIV event in London. The PGA Tour has always granted these waivers in the past and this is nothing more than Jay Monahan flexing his muscle. I think some players are going to take the plunge and deal with the PGA Tour in court, if necessary, and I hope they do.
The PGA Tour is a big money maker, so I do not understand why they cannot coexist with the LIV League. IRS filings for FY2019, show the PGA Tour total assets at a $3,384,025,893.00 and even after expenses, the PGA Tour had a net balance of over 1 billion dollars. Not too shabby for a ‘non-profit’ organization if you ask me.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520999206/202023219349309777/full
I believe the PGA Tour has become a toxic environment not worthy of my viewership. It is a shame because I thought golf was going to stay away from all the woke-isms, but under Jay Monahan’s regime, they are neck deep in it.
I love and watch golf for its entertainment value, not to be lectured on social issues. The LIV saga and the way the PGA Tour has treated Phil Mickelson, finally did it for me and I am ready to write off the PGA Tour along with all their hypocritical garbage.
I am looking forward to watching some LIV events, and I am looking forward to seeing which players are ready to take the leap and let Jay Monahan make his move.
LIV v. PGA Tour is just around the corner, and I cannot wait to see how it will turn out. Professional golf and the PGA Tour are ready to face an awakening.
The PGA Tour better have lots of money to spend on lawyers, because you can bet Greg Norman is going to have all the money he will need.
I believe in competition and the free market. LIV has provided the PGA Tour and DP World Tour an opportunity to put their money where their mouth is and prove to the world they are indeed a better product and not the only product.
The fans are not stupid and they are very capable of deciding which product is better.
Fore!