It was, unfortunately, inevitable. Rory had been leading the defence of the U.S. PGA tour. He was the most vocal in his attacks on the Saudis and those pros that had joined the LIV tour. But recent developments, like hearing the PGA were in secret discussions with LIV and the defection of world number one, Jon Rahm, has led the Holywood man to admit defeat. Money talks. And the Saudis have plenty of it.
Rahm's betrayal really sticks in the craw given that he made a speech last year attacking the Saudi regime's record and defending the traditional American tour series, but in the end the multi-millionaire decided that he needed more money. In Rory's interview on The Overlap he explained how the media battle with his LIV colleagues was making his golf suffer and that there was just too much money involved. C'est la vie.
Now we hear that snooker is next. After China's attempt to dominate the sport failed with several leading pros getting done for fixing matches, we now see the Arabs having a go. They are proposing jazzing the game up with a new "golden ball" worth 25 points. As I said in my blog post about darts, I love what the darts authorities have done with darts but with snooker I am definitely more of a conservative. I really hope the Saudis fail, but throw enough money and . . .
It comes at an important time for the Saudis and their sportswashing agenda. Apparently many of the European players are unhappy with life in the strictly Islamic kingdom. Who'd a guessed? Ex-City centre half Aymeric Laporte spilled the beans last week only to be slapped down by the Saudis, leading to Laporte claiming his revelation was "mistranslated". Certainly Jordan Henderson was unhappy enough to take a huge wage decrease to join Ajax. Playing in constant heat in front of sparse crowds must be bad enough, never mind the culture shock of living in such a state as Saudi Arabia. According to The Guardian, Henderson's team played a game last autumn in front of 600 supporters.
There are widespread reports of mostly empty stadiums, proving that you just can't buy tradition. Derby and Bolton Wanderers, in the English 3rd tier, have a higher average attendance than almost all of the Saudi Pro League's teams. I sincerely hope it withers on the vine, like the U.S. and Chinese varieties that went before.
I understand that the Saudis claim they are simply trying to change the culture in their nation, modernise, provide entertainment and increase sporting participation, and I understand the minefield of moral relativism as I sit in my safe European home, but I just can't accept Saudi Arabia's interference in sport. If the Saudis approached me, offering great riches to write in support of them, would I be able to say no? Maybe we all have a price and I shouldn't get so wound up.
Rory has thrown in the towel, should the rest of us follow suit?
Rahm's betrayal really sticks in the craw given that he made a speech last year attacking the Saudi regime's record and defending the traditional American tour series, but in the end the multi-millionaire decided that he needed more money. In Rory's interview on The Overlap he explained how the media battle with his LIV colleagues was making his golf suffer and that there was just too much money involved. C'est la vie.
Now we hear that snooker is next. After China's attempt to dominate the sport failed with several leading pros getting done for fixing matches, we now see the Arabs having a go. They are proposing jazzing the game up with a new "golden ball" worth 25 points. As I said in my blog post about darts, I love what the darts authorities have done with darts but with snooker I am definitely more of a conservative. I really hope the Saudis fail, but throw enough money and . . .
It comes at an important time for the Saudis and their sportswashing agenda. Apparently many of the European players are unhappy with life in the strictly Islamic kingdom. Who'd a guessed? Ex-City centre half Aymeric Laporte spilled the beans last week only to be slapped down by the Saudis, leading to Laporte claiming his revelation was "mistranslated". Certainly Jordan Henderson was unhappy enough to take a huge wage decrease to join Ajax. Playing in constant heat in front of sparse crowds must be bad enough, never mind the culture shock of living in such a state as Saudi Arabia. According to The Guardian, Henderson's team played a game last autumn in front of 600 supporters.
There are widespread reports of mostly empty stadiums, proving that you just can't buy tradition. Derby and Bolton Wanderers, in the English 3rd tier, have a higher average attendance than almost all of the Saudi Pro League's teams. I sincerely hope it withers on the vine, like the U.S. and Chinese varieties that went before.
I understand that the Saudis claim they are simply trying to change the culture in their nation, modernise, provide entertainment and increase sporting participation, and I understand the minefield of moral relativism as I sit in my safe European home, but I just can't accept Saudi Arabia's interference in sport. If the Saudis approached me, offering great riches to write in support of them, would I be able to say no? Maybe we all have a price and I shouldn't get so wound up.
Rory has thrown in the towel, should the rest of us follow suit?
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| Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports |
