All the recent kerfuffle over Jon Rahm turning the pro golf world on its' head with his reported $500m dollar deal with the Saudi backed LIV series led me to say that in 2024 not just the pro golf world, but the rest of the sporting world will have to decide on where the line will be drawn on how big the Saudi influence, control is going to become.
At the base of all their wealth : Saudi Arabia (Kingdom) supplies a reported 15% of this planets petroleum.
At the base of their controversy : Their shocking disregard of human rights, including against women, culminating in the highly publicized murder of a dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi ( a columnist for the Washington Post amongst his titles) who was assassinated at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul October 2, 2018 by agents of the Saudi government at the behest of Crown Prince Mohammed Bib Salman. This created tension between the Saudi's and the USA who have been pressured to cut diplomatic ties.
In 2022 when Phil Mickelson stormed into the world headlines, joining the renegade LIV series after admitting "they were scary **&^^!! to deal with, the battle lines were drawn. Us (the status quo) vs the evil Saudi's
Now a year later all that is and will continue to be changing.
Consider the following heading into 2024.
* Cristiano Ronaldo is making $200m a year playing for Saudi soccer team Al Nassr
* the PIF wealth fund who offered Lionel Messi $500m (he turned then down) owns Newcastle FC in the English Premier League.
* they host a Formula 1 race and were interested in buying the entire circuit owned by Liberty Media Corporation who turned them down
* they are investing $5 billion into the Indian Premier League cricket
* Saudi Arabia Riyadh will host the 2030 World Expo
* they are hosting the 2034 World Cup (soccer) after Australia dropped out of the bidding.
* men's pro tennis tour ATP has a 5 year deal to host a premier tournament in Jeddah, and talks with the women's tour WTA are reportedly ongoing with Billie Jean King recently stating " I don't think you really change unless you engage"
* Saudi company Aramco sponsors 6 events on the LET (Ladies European Tour) the "Aramco Series" began in 2020
* the "Saudi International" (golf) began on the European Tour in 2019 and many world stars like Dustin Johnson took huge appearance fees to show up to support it.
It became the flagship event on the Asian Tour in 2022 sponsored by the PIF at Royal Greens G&CC in King Abdullah Economic City.
* negotiations now underway between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Investment Fund will shape the "new normal" in the world of pro golf in 2024 with the ultra rich Fenway Sports Group now in the financial mix. They own the Red Sox, Pittsburg Penguins, Liverpool FC and NASCAR RFK Racing .
* if the LIV series dissolves under the new normal, it may explain why Rahm and all the others regarded as greedy turncoats in 2022/23 (Poulter, Westwood, Garcia etal) decided to take the money on offer with the thought of returning to the fold in the near future.
* so where will the line in the Saudi sand be drawn ?
opinion :
Recently regarded as "dirty money," "sportswashing", iconic, trusted and revered sports men and women who continue to have secured their and their families futures the easy way with guaranteed money from PIF are legitimizing what the rulers of the Kingdom have set out to achieve, being viewed as a much more diplomatic entity eager to improve, rather than the bad reputation they have in the world order.
My money says it's just a question of how much of the world's pro sports scene will the Saudis be allowed to buy. When will enough be enough, when endless billions are thrown into the greed associated with the western capitalist economy.
Like everything else time will tell, and as the saying goes " heals all wounds"..
Lets hope common sense finally prevails....
Bryan Angus
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