Words of wisdom from the great philosopher Young Jeezy on his hit record “Soul Survivor.” Words his fellow golfers and organizers of the LIV Golf Invitational series wish Phil Mickelson would have taken to heart when speaking to an unauthorized biographer earlier this year, setting off a firestorm and debate on whether playing on a rebel golf tour meant to disrupt the PGA Tour is akin to selling your soul.
Fast forward several months and the LIV Golf series has officially arrived. The controversial rival to the PGA has already lured away noteworthy players like Mickelson and Dustin Johnson with financing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. The series, which kicked off this week with its first event in London, has been mired in controversy ever since Mickelson first confirmed his interest.
Meanwhile, the RBC Canadian Open has returned this weekend for its 111th edition after two years of COVID-related cancellations. Yet, RBC’s main spokesperson at the tournament in years past, Johnson, isn’t present. Neither is Mickelson, though he hasn’t been a regular at Canada’s lone PGA Tour stop.
When speaking about the opportunity to play in the Saudi Arabia-backed series earlier this year, Mickelson said: “We know they killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates. They’ve been able to get by with manipulative, coercive, strong-arm tactics because we, the players, had no recourse. As nice a guy as [PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan] comes across as, unless you have leverage, he won’t do what’s right. And the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage. I’m not sure I even want [the SGL] to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the [PGA] Tour.”
The fact that the series may come to rival the PGA or give the golfers leverage isn’t the issue; it’s that this is the latest example of sportswashing. Translation: a country or political regime using the lure of sport to attract attention and goodwill to cover up and distract from the human rights violations they have engaged in.
This much we know: sportswashing is not new. It’s been around a long time but is becoming more obvious and is apparently here to stay.
In this case, Saudi Arabia is a nation run by an authoritarian regime where women are treated as second-class citizens. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman says he wants to make it “a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world.” However, he’s been linked to various abuses, including the assassination of Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist who had been critical of him.
Despite knowing about these well-documented offences, Phil said the quiet part out loud. It’s no secret to the other golfers in the LIV Golf series either.
At LIV Golf’s media availability ahead of its first event this week, Graeme McDowell was asked about the sportswashing nature of this endeavour, and he hit every spot on the BS Bingo card. He talked about not being a politician and about growing the game of golf and about being a role model for kids — all in the same answer where he admits to helping Saudi Arabia on their “journey.” Which opened him up to be pushed on the extent this “journey” of sportswashing covers up extremely cruel crimes and human rights offences.
Preparing for the Saudi golf series launch, Graeme McDowell talked about golf being a force for good. I asked how the sovereign wealth funded series will help those who have been killed, oppressed and suffered by Saudi actions.https://t.co/lLxnCCQsqmpic.twitter.com/rtDaetqnG1
As he stumbled through an unconvincing response, he did land on some truth.
“As golfers, if we tried to cure geopolitical situations in every country in the world that we play golf in, we wouldn’t play a lot of golf,” McDowell admitted. So, in a sense, these golfers are making the same calculus that many other leagues, teams and sport governing bodies have made: take the money until the backlash causes you to lose money.
The players are thinking about their bottom-line, first and foremost. The truth is every person and every league has a magic number where the moral complexities become far less complex — that much is obvious across golf and the rest of the sports world.
Augusta National has a history that is problematic, not admitting Black members or women members for long stretches, and yet there was no yearning for golfers to turn down prize money for winning the Masters. So, it is a bit hypocritical when there are no clear rules on where to draw the line on what is and isn’t acceptable.
Newcastle United is controlled by the same group that is behind LIV Golf. Immediately after they were purchased, the English soccer club won 10 of their next 15 matches and finished in the top off half of the Premier League table. When that deal was announced last October, the supporters’ reaction was not shame, but joy as they saw their club become one of the richest in the world overnight. So can fans criticize these golfers for accepting big cheques on the Saudi-funded series, but then still cheer for a club backed by the same money?
Similarly, Paris Saint-Germain, is owned by Qatar’s big sovereign wealth fund.
Qatar is also the host of the upcoming FIFA World Cup.In order to prepare to host the biggest soccer tournament on the planet, Qatar has imported migrant workers who have been forced into terrible working conditions and had their passports confiscated so that they could not leave the country. Thousands of migrant workers have died under these conditions since Qatar was awarded the World Cup back in 2010. And we haven’t even mentioned the inability of women to have full participation in society, and the treatment of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
The Ladies European Tour has five Saudi-sponsored events but because it is a struggling tour and female sports investment is badly needed, the link to Saudi Arabia in this case hasn’t caused a visceral reaction.
On the men’s side, this isn’t even new to the sport or the region. The Saudi Golf Federation partnered with the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour)and created the Saudi International four years ago. In Europe, appearance fees are allowed so eventual LIV defectors — Mickelson, Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau — have been getting paid seven-figure appearance fees to play in Saudi Arabia for years without anyone taking issue.
But that was just one tournament per year in Saudi Arabia. LIV Golf already has eight tournaments scheduled, including two at Donald Trump courses with the finale at Trump National Doral Miami. The association with Trump in itself is controversial.
The truth is it’s not about being a role model or growing the game for these players. If it doesn’t make dollars, it doesn’t make sense.
The PGA Tour itself offers no salaries and no guaranteed payouts and does not allow tournaments to pay appearance fees to golfers (though some sponsors do pay golfers to appear at certain events and tournaments). The top three career earners in PGA Tour history are Tiger Woods ($121 million), Mickelson ($95 million) and Johnson ($74 million).
Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf who also tried to form a world tour that would rival the PGA in the 1990s, said they’re offering Tiger Woods almost $1 billion. Johnson was reportedly offered $150 million. Mickelson was offered a $200-million guaranteed deal by LIV. With Lefty recently opening up about his gambling debts, the math tells the story there.
And that’s true for everyone involved.
The PGA wants to keep its monopoly, so it has taken a hard stance. It has suspended all players who choose to play on the LIV Golf series, but the USGA is going to allow players to play next week in their open invitational. Why? Because big-name players draw revenue. Now, we wait to see what the other majors decide to do. And that will be determined by how angry the public decides it wants to be.
The sponsors are also dropping golfers who leave because they don’t want their logos tied to the negative public sentiment that currently exists with LIV Golf. But do the players need as many corporate partners if LIV Golf is going to guarantee they’ll make more than they’ve ever made previously?
Everyone has their angle.
It seems the only ones not motivated solely by money are the Saudis. Their path to revenue and recouping costs for LIV Golf as a sustainable business model seems less clear. More people will likely watch the LIV press conference clips than will see actual LIV Golf this weekend. They don’t have a broadcast deal in the USA and are streaming their first event on YouTube. None of the PGA Tour’s major U.S. media partners like NBC or CBS or the Golf Channel will risk their relationship by broadcasting the LIV tournaments.
In a very golf way, everyone is trying to gauge which way the wind is blowing on this to determine if the initial intensity of outrage will only be short-lived.
And if we are going to scrutinize these dealings in sports, do we need to keep that same energy in other walks of life? Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund also invested billions of dollars in Uber before it went public and bought stock in Boeing, Facebook, Disney and Starbucks just to name a few. Are you complicit if you work for those companies? Or, if you have stock in those companies or use those products? How far removed do individuals or corporation need to be to plead plausible deniability?
We all have a bias to our own bottom-line. Being honest about the intended and unintended consequences of engaging with the sports associations we love has become part of the sports experience in 2022. LIV Golf is the latest example but there will be more.
The power of sport is so transformational, and the wealth is so generational, so it guarantees that sportswashing is here to stay. That’s no longer in question.
The questions now are: do we care as much about these issues as we demand the athletes should? And if so, what are we willing to do about it?
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa sustained a concussion for the third time in his NFL career, leaving his team’s game Thursday night against Buffalo after running into defensive back Damar Hamlin and hitting the back of his head against the turf.
Tagovailoa remained down for about two minutes before getting to his feet and walking to the sideline after the play in the third quarter. He made his way to the tunnel not long afterward, looking into the stands before smiling and departing toward the locker room.
The Dolphins needed almost no time before announcing it was a concussion. The team said he had two during the 2022 season, and Tagovailoa was diagnosed with another concussion when he was a college player at Alabama.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Tagovailoa would get “proper procedural evaluation” and “appropriate care” on Friday.
“The furthest thing from my mind is, ‘What is the timeline?’ We just need to evaluate and just worry about my teammate, like the rest of the guys are,” McDaniel said. “We’ll get more information tomorrow and take it day by day from here.”
Some players saw Tagovailoa in the locker room after the game and said they were encouraged. Tagovailoa spoke with some players and then went home after the game, McDaniel said.
“I have a lot of love for Tua, built a great relationship with him,” said quarterback Skylar Thompson, who replaced Tagovailoa after the injury. “You care about the person more than the player and everybody in the organization would say the same thing. Just really praying for Tua and hopefully everything will come out all right.”
Tagovailoa signed a four-year, $212 million extension before this season — a deal that makes him one of the highest-paid players in the NFL — and was the NFL’s leading passer in Week 1 this season. Tagovailoa left with the Dolphins trailing 31-10, and that was the final score.
“If you know Tua outside of football, you can’t help but feel for him,” Bills quarterback Josh Allen said on Amazon following the game. “He’s a great football player but he’s an even greater human being. He’s one of the best humans on the planet. I’ve got a lot of love for him and I’m just praying for him and his family, hoping everything’s OK. But it’s tough, man. This game of football that we play, it’s got its highs and it’s got its lows — and this is one of the lows.”
Tagovailoa’s college years and first three NFL seasons were marred by injury, though he positioned himself for a big pay bump with an injury-free and productive 2023 as he led the Dolphins into the playoffs. He threw for 29 touchdowns and a league-best 4,624 yards last year.
When, or if, he can come back this season is anyone’s guess. Tagovailoa said in April 2023 that the concussions he had in the 2022 season left him contemplating his playing future. “I think I considered it for a time,” he said then, when asked if he considered stepping away from the game to protect himself.
McDaniel said it’s not his place to say if Tagovailoa should return to football. “He’ll be evaluated and we’ll have conversations and progress as appropriate,” McDaniel said.
Tagovailoa was hurt Thursday on a fourth-down keeper with about 4:30 left in the third. He went straight ahead into Hamlin and did not slide, leading with his right shoulder instead.
Hamlin was the player who suffered a cardiac arrest after making a tackle during a Monday night game in January 2023 at Cincinnati, causing the NFL to suspend a pivotal game that quickly lost significance in the aftermath of a scary scene that unfolded in front of a national television audience.
Tagovailoa wound up on his back, both his hands in the air and Bills players immediately pointed at him as if to suggest there was an injury. Dolphins center Aaron Brewer quickly did the same, waving to the sideline.
Tagovailoa appeared to be making a fist with his right hand as he lay on the ground. It was movement consistent with something that is referred to as the “fencing response,” which can be common after a traumatic brain injury.
Tagovailoa eventually got to his feet. McDaniel grabbed the side of his quarterback’s head and gave him a kiss on the cheek as Tagovailoa departed. Thompson came into the game to take Tagovailoa’s spot.
“I love Tua on and off the football field,” Bills edge Von Miller said. “I’m a huge fan of him. I can empathize and sympathize with him because I’ve been there. I wish him the best.”
Tagovailoa’s history with concussions — and how he has since worked to avoid them — is a huge part of the story of his career, and now comes to the forefront once again.
He had at least two concussions during the 2022 season. He was hurt in a Week 3 game against Buffalo and cleared concussion protocol, though he appeared disoriented on that play but returned to the game.
The NFL later changed its concussion protocol to mandate that if a player shows possible concussion symptoms — including a lack of balance or stability — he must sit out the rest of the game.
Less than a week later, in a Thursday night game at Cincinnati, Tagovailoa was concussed on a scary hit that briefly knocked him unconscious and led to him being taken off the field on a stretcher.
His second known concussion of that season came in a December game against Green Bay, and he didn’t play for the rest of the 2022 season. After that, Tagovailoa began studying ways where he may be able to fall more safely and protect himself against further injury — including studying jiu-jitsu.
“I’m not worried about anything that’s out of my hands,” McDaniel said. “I’m just worried about the human being.”
