The news we all knew was coming.
LIV Golf announced today that they have found a new funding source, from an outside investor, though the announcement says nothing about who the investor is, or how much funding LIV will be receiving. Which is, IMO, a pretty sketchy announcement, but par for the course (pun intended).
The YouTube algorithm recommended this five-minute video from the Wall Street Journal on the failure of LIV golf. I don’t expect anyone to watch it, but about three minutes in, the video points out that the league secured almost nothing in terms of broadcast rights, leaving it only the Saudi funding to cover costs.
Completely unnamed “new funding source” with zippo details about how much, when, why, etc. This comes across exactly like the AAF, which was bleeding to death for every single day of its existence, yet the guys in charge insisted on smiling and thumbs-upping and constantly shouting “Everything’s going to be fine!” to the bitter end. I really think that someone at the top, for whatever reason, sees failure as a crushing failure or an unbearable shame (as opposed to what these things always are, i.e. poorly thought out abortive spite ventures that are doomed to fail, which is why reasonable people just shrug when that happens) and is fighting absolute tooth and nail to prevent that for as many milliseconds as humanly possible.
My prediction is that the well truly runs dry sometime in '27, the end is announced in a series of stammering tweets, there’s one perfunctory “LIV IS NOT DEAD!!” video on YouTube, Fox Sports does a respectful hour-long tribute, and ESPN just cracks a few bad jokes on Sportscenter before kicking off team synchronized beer shuffleboard or whatever.
Sounds so shady that it might have something to do with Trump, and if so, they’ll never see a dime! But Trump came to mind because (a) he likes golf, and probably sees some sleazy way his golf courses could profit after he was shunned by the PGA, and (b) he’s an expert at investing in losing ventures (the Trump airline, Atlantic CIty casinos, Truth Social, etc.). Besides, who else would be stupid enough to invest in LIV (or at least, promise to)?
Maybe it’s secret funding from his orangeness.
(He’s probably cackling in his secret lair, “I shall have ALL the golf! At last, ALL the trophy’s will be mine!)
Maybe the Saudi’s are really running a scam to fleece him, because that WOULD win them friends all around the world!
LIV Golf announced today that they are cancelling the year’s final event, making this weekend’s tournament the final one of this season.