PGA Tour agrees to merge with LIV Golf

[EP 54 is banned from Collision]

I suspect they looked at what the Ryder Cup lineups were going to be like (particularly on the European side) and balked.

[Vice honcho room temperature]

I don't understand this and what stupid money was thrown around considering I don't think anyone gave a f*** about LIV compared to me where I don't know why anyone gave a f*** about PGA

[jm]

Jun 7, 2023 9:01:20 GMT -5 salz4life said:

Jun 6, 2023 23:01:25 GMT -5 jm said:

You mean this video??

Wow.... that's stunningly bad in hindsight.

Jay Monahan then: "Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?"
PGA Tour members today: "Now we have to."

[Vice honcho room temperature]

So I have announced a new Golf league and this is not a naked attempt to sue this merger for anti trust and get a fat pay day

[Renslayer]

If "making things worse" was an Olympic sport, he'd have a gold medal

[Push R Truth]

Looking at Bryson's eyes when he talks... dude is obviously spewing bullshit and trying to remember preplanned answers

[BRV]

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

[salz4life]

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

What's to stop the Saudis from starting their own "XFL" or "USFL"? While it's true that they may not get those established stars currently in the NFL, but they could get start getting the next crop coming out of college. For example, they could thrown huge money bags to Marvin Harrison, Jr. or Caleb Williams and go from there. I feel like it wouldn't work... but who knows down the road in the future. Ugh! This stinks!

[BRV]

Jun 7, 2023 10:25:03 GMT -5 salz4life said:

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

What's to stop the Saudis from starting their own "XFL" or "USFL"? While it's true that they may not get those established stars currently in the NFL, but they could get start getting the next crop coming out of college. For example, they could thrown huge money bags to Marvin Harrison, Jr. or Caleb Williams and go from there. I feel like it wouldn't work... but who knows down the road in the future. Ugh! This stinks!

That's the only way they could ever make a run at the established pro sports leagues, but even then, it would take at least a decade to establish a foothold.

Like I said, the NFL's contract structure and fan loyalty wouldn't allow them to suddenly lose stars like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow until they're old and grey. And college stars like Marvin Harrison Jr., Caleb Williams, and Arch Manning defecting wouldn't make a dent in the quality of play in the league for at least 5-10 years. Plus, while there could be ungodly sums of money thrown at these college players, would their agents tell them to risk being blackballed by the NFL to join an upstart league that has zero history and could fold/be absorbed by the NFL in a matter of years?

It's like what we're seeing in international soccer. They're buying up guys like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, but it won't do anything to adversely affect the Premier League, Bundesliga, or any other well-established league where they have hundreds of years of history and loyal fans who bleed their club's colors.

[Mayonnaise]

I'm honestly kinda shocked because I thought golf would be too "old money" to sell to them.

[Renslayer]

You'd think shutting up would be the play, but apparently not

[Push R Truth]

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

To me... if I had unlimited money the juiciest target is NCAA Football and Basketball. Especially if I was willing to give zero f@#$'s about education and well being. Hell, with zero morals they can bring kids in while they are still in highschool. Create that league of future stars that the NFL and NBA are forbidden to touch for a couple years. The NCAA is weak and prime to get slaughtered by somebody, but it would take real amounts of money to do it. Which the Saudi's have.
Hell, they could even do a "soft" take over just by giving large NIL deals to all the biggest stars and make being part of Team Money like being a McDonald's All American.

Jun 7, 2023 11:57:49 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I'm honestly kinda shocked because I thought golf would be too "old money" to sell to them.

There is nothing old money loves more than more money. New money still has dreams and memories from earlier years of "if I had X$ then I'd buy an island/corvette/arbys/etc". But old money already has that. There is only more money.

Saudi Money is more money. That's the only money that matters to old money.

[jm]

Jun 7, 2023 13:28:27 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

You'd think shutting up would be the play, but apparently not

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

PGA folded like big bitches 

[Jedi-El of Tomorrow]

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

They're making a run to host the World Cup.

[jm]

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I think the Saudis are absolutely going to try to start up an international football league of their own. They already have Ronaldo. Messi is in MLS now. But they can court other big name intl football players in the future. So yeah, I think an international football league is next for them.

[BRV]

Jun 7, 2023 18:47:33 GMT -5 Jedi-El of Tomorrow said:

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

They're making a run to host the World Cup.

That's to be expected, not unlike how Qatar made a run at - and recently hosted - the World Cup. The question is did it, or will it, make any appreciable difference in the global soccer atmosphere?

Jun 7, 2023 22:17:47 GMT -5 jm said:

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I think the Saudis are absolutely going to try to start up an international football league of their own. They already have Ronaldo. Messi is in MLS now. But they can court other big name intl football players in the future. So yeah, I think an international football league is next for them.

They very well could, and they have the financial resources to basically buy up every single top-flight soccer player in the world. But how would this not end up exactly like the Super League fiasco? That flopped because what they thought they were making was a global elite tier of professional soccer, but in doing so they completely alienated both the clubs' fans and the fans of those organizations not invited to the Super League.

Also, as has been said time and time again, European soccer has literally centuries of fan loyalty embedded in the individual communities. I don't see the supporters who have trekked out to places like Stamford Bridge or Anfield for literal generations suddenly converting their loyalty because there's a higher level of soccer thousands of miles away.

The only way it would work is if they literally buy the Premier League.

[jm]

Jun 8, 2023 10:32:05 GMT -5 BRV said:

Jun 7, 2023 18:47:33 GMT -5 Jedi-El of Tomorrow said:

They're making a run to host the World Cup.

That's to be expected, not unlike how Qatar made a run at - and recently hosted - the World Cup. The question is did it, or will it, make any appreciable difference in the global soccer atmosphere?

Jun 7, 2023 22:17:47 GMT -5 jm said:

I think the Saudis are absolutely going to try to start up an international football league of their own. They already have Ronaldo. Messi is in MLS now. But they can court other big name intl football players in the future. So yeah, I think an international football league is next for them.

They very well could, and they have the financial resources to basically buy up every single top-flight soccer player in the world. But how would this not end up exactly like the Super League fiasco? That flopped because what they thought they were making was a global elite tier of professional soccer, but in doing so they completely alienated both the clubs' fans and the fans of those organizations not invited to the Super League.

Also, as has been said time and time again, European soccer has literally centuries of fan loyalty embedded in the individual communities. I don't see the supporters who have trekked out to places like Stamford Bridge or Anfield for literal generations suddenly converting their loyalty because there's a higher level of soccer thousands of miles away.

The only way it would work is if they literally buy the Premier League.

Considering the fact they have a team in the Premier League, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Saudis bought the League outright.

[salz4life]

Jun 7, 2023 13:28:27 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

You'd think shutting up would be the play, but apparently not

That was a long way to go to simply say, "I don't care". Idiot.

[salz4life]

Jun 7, 2023 13:51:46 GMT -5 Push R Truth said:

Jun 7, 2023 10:06:01 GMT -5 BRV said:

The question is which sport do they try next? They were successful with golf, they clearly made a run at professional wrestling, where do they go next?

I don't see them making a serious run at creating a league that would challenge any of the big four American sports, because those are filled with teams rooted in local tradition. Even if they gobbled up all the stars, I'd be hard-pressed to imagine a Kansas City Chiefs fan would suddenly stop watching their team because Patrick Mahomes signed with the LIV version of the NFL. Also, golfers are independent contractors whereas professional athletes are paid by contract in a union. The only way a LIV-style breakoff could work in the big four would be if they just scooped up all the free agents.

To me... if I had unlimited money the juiciest target is NCAA Football and Basketball. Especially if I was willing to give zero f@#$'s about education and well being. Hell, with zero morals they can bring kids in while they are still in highschool. Create that league of future stars that the NFL and NBA are forbidden to touch for a couple years. The NCAA is weak and prime to get slaughtered by somebody, but it would take real amounts of money to do it. Which the Saudi's have.
Hell, they could even do a "soft" take over just by giving large NIL deals to all the biggest stars and make being part of Team Money like being a McDonald's All American.

Jun 7, 2023 11:57:49 GMT -5 Mayonnaise said:

I'm honestly kinda shocked because I thought golf would be too "old money" to sell to them.

There is nothing old money loves more than more money. New money still has dreams and memories from earlier years of "if I had X$ then I'd buy an island/corvette/arbys/etc". But old money already has that. There is only more money.

Saudi Money is more money. That's the only money that matters to old money.

I never thought about the Saudi's infiltrating college sports. If you think about it, that's the way to eventually compete with the professional leagues. They can get these kids out of high school in football, basketball and maybe even baseball by offering huge money (NIL) and then they could lock them up for many years. If it worked, eventually you have the really good players to compete with the NFL, NBA, MLB. Not only that, but they would F the NCAA.... who would be the heel in the match between the Saudis and the NCAA? LOL