Less Golf?!?!

In a recent LIV golf interview Jon Rahm was quite blunt about why he took Liv’s offer, to paraphrase, “to get paid more to play less golf “ . This made my blood boil, but this isn’t the first time I’ve heard this refrain from those golfers who chose to go to LIV. “We get to play less” “more time off the road” “more pay for less work” are all familiar tropes. So familiar in fact that I’m willing to bet its part of LIV’s talking points that these guys are contractual obligated to obey. But that still begs the question, why do want to play less golf?

The PGA players have reached the pinnacle of their sport, they get paid handsomely to play a game others gladly pay dearly for. They make their own schedules as far as tournaments selected, are only required to play 18 weeks of a possible 40+ events, and have the opportunity to make a normal yearly average salary every week they tee it up. This false narrative and whining that they’re overworked and underpaid is not only  an insult to every single regular working person who has ever even had a passing interest in professional golf but its an insult to every other professional athlete! The NBA regular season is 82 games plus playoffs after, I want Lee Westwood to go tell Lebron that he plays too much golf and needs time off. The NHL minimum salary for a player is $750,000 for 82 games, which includes multiple practices, workouts, off season meetings and travel. All for the chance that you might get cut or dropped into the minors at a moment’s notice. You know what gets $620,000 dollars for a week’s work? Third place at this week’s Cognizant. One week’s work. These guys have got to be shitting me.

Ray Lewis once said “They pay me for Monday through Saturday, you get Sundays for free”. What he meant was being on the field and competing was payment enough, what you paid him for was the bullshit of practice, meetings, and the hundred other obligations that befall professional sports stars. The thrill of competition was what he yearned for. The LIV guys are now getting paid for not competing. The money is already there, the checks have been cashed, now they have to go out and play with that same fire? I think they’re finding out its not there, there is no juice, no next gear, no digging deep. For what? When it’s a meaningless trophy for an event that was just made up out of thin air, what’s the difference between LIV and the guys playing for who buys the first round at the 19th? We as fans have found meaning in competition and the greatest athletes have always rose and transcended because of it. So go play less golf, go play no golf, quit and start a hedge fund if all you want is money. The fire of competition won’t be there and talent doesn’t wait for anyone. See you down the road.

-          The Starter