Every discussion of LIV Golf and the players participating in the Saudi-backed tour has come with debates about the morality involved. Those debates became local Wednesday morning on WEEI as Greg Hill discussed the US Open teeing off this week in nearby Brookline.
He discussed Rory McIlroy’s shots at LIV golfers and a listener texted in to ask why no one asked McIlroy about his Nike sponsorship. The company has been found to regularly use unpaid and underpaid labor in some countries.
“I think that would have been an excellent question for Rory McIlroy,” Hill said.
He added that handwringing over the stars that have faced tough questions about their association with LIV Golf is largely meaningless. Saudi Arabia is guilty of some pretty terrible things, including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but the country’s money is everywhere in the United States.
“Unless every person in America is going to stop doing business with everything related to the Saudi Royal Family, it’s just noise,” he said. “It’s just noise about Phil Mickelson. It’s noise about Dustin Johnson. It’s noise about guys who are doing their job.”
Producer Chris Curtis agreed saying that he hopes no one thinks the show is defending the Saudi Royal Family. Instead, Hill and crew are pointing out that we all use products and consume entertainment that we aren’t even aware is backed by their money.
“Do you think the people that were in the Avengers: End Game movie are somehow complicit in supporting terror groups in the Middle East? No! Their money is everywhere.”
He pointed out that the hypocrisy being shown by Jay Monahan is astounding and going largely unchecked. The PGA Tour Commissioner gave multiple players a waiver to compete in Saudi Arabia in December on the condition that they must commit to playing in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am for the next two years. He made no fuss about them profiting from their appearance or victory at the time.
Greg Hill noted that the PGA Tour has never had a well-funded competitor and that means for a lot of players, it is the first time they have had real options for their careers.
“A competing business is offering them millions of dollars to participate and they made the move.”
