Professional Golf Declares Moral Bankruptcy
Professional sports frequently run afoul of good moral behavior. Steroid use, neglect of player safety, and the disregarding of sexual assault and domestic abuse are just a few examples of the areas that professional sports in America have come up short. But last week one sport laid its own unique claim to moral bankruptcy, professional golf. The PGA Tour announced last Tuesday, a surprise multibillion-dollar merger with the DP World Tour and the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf League funded primarily by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. With this deal, golf becomes the only major professional sport in America to be largely financed by an authoritarian government. In the case of Saudi Arabia an authoritarian government that is famous for its violations of human rights and the murder of journalists. Here at DS, we have looked at the important links between politics and sports and this deal is no exception.
The origins of the LIV Golf League stretch back to June 2022 when the league was created with billions of dollars from the Saudi government in an attempt to engage in sportswashing as the regime sought to downplay its horrendous civil rights record, particularly in the wake of the brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Absolute huge payouts were used to lure big-name golfers with more greed than ethics away from the PGA. Famously, Phil Mickelson’s biographer reported that the elite golfer told him that while he was well aware of the horrendous human rights record of Saudi Arabia including the state-sanctioned murder of homosexual individuals, he favored joining LIV Golf because “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” Yes, a multimillionaire decided human rights could be overlooked if it gave him a chance to strong-arm his employer which he felt had treated him unfairly. The backlash from other golfers and his sponsors caused Mickelson to apologize, though he joined LIV all the same and later tried to deny the interview ever took place. Consistently, players who left for LIV rejected criticism of their decision on moral grounds. Bryson DeChambeau event went as far as to defend LIV and the Saudi government by saying “Golf is a force for good . . . As time goes on, hopefully, people will see the good they’re doing. And what they’re trying to accomplish, rather than looking back at the bad that’s happened before.” Indeed, we should pause to recall all of the democratic and human rights advances that have come from golf. Oh wait, that’s right, there aren’t any. The good they were doing was filling the pockets of DeChambeau and his colleagues, which he apparently believes makes up for human rights violations or sponsorship of terrorist groups.
Make no mistake, the PGA is aware of the moral deficit in their decision. For months, they have condemned the players who have left their tour to play for the Saudi-backed LIV. PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan famously linked the Saudi government to the September 11th terrorist attacks and the murder of Khashoggi before stating, “I would ask any player that has left or any player that would ever consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?” After overseeing the backroom deal that is allowing for the merger, Monahan has been the subject of fierce criticism including from the 9/11 Families United organization that called out Monahan on his hypocrisy.
Now it seems the PGA has conveniently forgotten all of its moral qualms. They are happily embracing the Saudi government because of the huge payday it offers. But as was the case with the LIV Tour players before, the PGA, or whatever the new entity will come to be called, has no interest in being criticized. The party line to avoid criticism is that it is “good for golf.” One golfer after another has parroted it. This case was made most clearly once again by DeChambeau who declared, “I think this is the best thing that could ever happen to the game of golf.” When asked about the political ramifications he responded, “I mean look, it’s unfortunate what has happened but that is not something I can necessarily speak on because I’m a golfer. . . What I can say is that what they’re trying to do, what they’re trying to work on is be better allies, because we are allies with them. I’m not going to get into the politics of it, I’m not specialized in it. But what I can say is they’re trying to do good for the world and showcase themselves in a light that hasn’t been seen in a while. Nobody is perfect but we’re all trying to improve in life.” Apparently becoming a professional golfer erodes your ability to consider the moral ramifications of your decisions, a most unfortunate side-effect. But nobody’s perfect, who hasn’t murdered a journalist in their day? In reality, professional golf is making the same bet as so many athletes, teams, and leagues before them. People love consuming their product so much they will simply put moral considerations out of mind, and they are probably right. The PGA has sold its soul and it isn’t interested in being held accountable, but hey “it’s good for golf.”
