The Sad Truth About The Power of Money
This is a bonus re-post. The following was buried at the bottom of my previous post and I have been told by some that they missed it. I thought long and hard about commenting on this issue, but felt that it does hold a lesson about finances. Feel free to disagree in the comments.
I love the game of golf. I love playing and watching or being watched by golf. In fact, I am pretty sure that I hold the unofficial world record for having been watched by golf more than any human on Earth. My wife will back me up on this. I often return from a morning round of golf, turn on the Golf Channel, and fall asleep to the dulcet tones of Jim Nance.
This past week the PGA (Professional Golfers’ Association of America) announced that it would merge with LIV (I have no idea what LIV stands for nor do I care). What I do know is that a number of golfers jumped from the PGA and joined this Saudi-backed golf tour that baited them with hundreds of millions of dollars. To be honest, I didn’t miss most of the characters who jumped ship. Many are at the end of their careers and those who weren’t included a known cheater.
They looked the other way when asked about Saudi human rights violations and talked about the life-changing money and the grind of playing on the PGA Tour where they were subjected to four days of golf each week and the possibility of being cut from the field after Friday’s round. Oh, the horrors! Look geniuses, if you are an adult who makes your living by either hitting, throwing, kicking, or catching a ball count your blessings and show some humility. Most people in this world work more than 60 hours per week managing a job and a family, live life paycheck to paycheck, and don’t have health insurance or a team to support them that includes a personal trainer, a masseuse, a psychologist, a swing coach, a private plane, and someone to carry their bags. You chose money over principle and character. End of story.
The head of the PGA mounted a campaign to undermine the new LIV Tour and enlisted the help of several top PGA golfers in support of this effort. He is on the record making some very disparaging statements about LIV’s backers, players, and management. Then, he did an about-face, threw the loyal members of his tour under the bus, and proposed a merger where he becomes the global CEO of Golf. There’s an old saying, “Money talks and bullsh#t walks,” only this time the BSer walked right into the warm embrace of the Saudi backers. (I have seen no mention of how much money his new job will pay, but I’m certain it is life-changing money.) E tu Brute?
Aside from the fact that I will have to find another voice to put me to sleep on Sunday afternoons, I am deeply bothered by this situation. I’ve grown cynical enough to expect lies and double-speak from our political leaders. I just expected more from the leaders of the great game of golf – a sport where you call penalties on yourself and honoring the game once stood above all else. (Why? Because I am an idealist.)
A couple of months ago the topic of the LIV Tour came up in conversation with some golf buddies, golf pros, and caddies. Most, especially the pros and caddies, were supportive of the golfers who jumped ship to the LIV Tour citing the money. One asked me what I would do if presented with the same deal. I calmly explained that on 9/11 thirty-nine students and alumni from my alma mater were incinerated, several of whom were my rugby teammates. Principles and character still matter. (Once again, the idealist.) I need to like and respect the face that I shave each morning. I guess that’s why Phil Mickelson grew a beard when he joined LIV.
“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” - Winston Churchill