What does the LIV Tour have to do with US school massacres, and why xenophobia (fear of foreigners) is wrong?
The name LIV is a reference to the Roman numeral for 54, the score if every hole on a par-72 course were birdied and the number of holes to be played at LIV events.
9/11 survivors are protesting against the new Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf Tour because 15 out of 19 of the 9/11 hijackers were born in Saudi Arabia. That is as racist and xenophobic as refusing to eat pizza because the Italians were on Hitler's side when WWII started. Or giving up Chinese takeaway because of the Tiananmen Square Massacre.
Do Americans protest at the Major Golf Tournaments where the prizemoney comes from US companies because 15 out of 19 school massacres were committed by mass murderers born in the USA? No. And just because someone is born in Saudi Arabia does not mean they are an Islamic jihadist any more than an American is likely to be a mass shooter at a school.
It wouldn't at all surprise me if the LIV Tour protesters were also religious bigots and Islamophobic zealots.
To all the sportswriters dishing out on pro golfers abandoning the PGA Tour to join the alternative LIV tour, it's not all about the money. As Phil Mickelson says: "I can't even show my kids footage of me winning PGA tournaments because the Tour owns the rights. It's my swing but I have to get permission... it's as if they own my shots!"
More and more golfers are leaving the PGA Tour for LIV. I think it's a good thing. For too long the PGA had a bully-style monopoly in golf where there hasn't really been any other alternative for golfers to earn a living.
It's the epitome of American Capitalism with a capital 'C'.
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