Saudi Arabia and Sportswashing -- And Deadspin asks a Hell of a question about it!

I was going to do this post already, and then Deadspin, on Monday, actually added a further angle I hadn't thought of.

Of course, the biggest story in the sports world right now is the first tournament of the LIV Saudi-backed blood-money tour, and how much it has decimated the PGA Tour in just a couple short weeks.

This is just a short list of the major PGA Tour names to leave the PGA Tour in the period surrounding the first LIV event outside London last weekend:

• Sergio Garcia
• Dustin Johnson
• Martin Kaymer
• Graeme McDowell
• Phil Mickelson (who officially resigned Monday)
• Kevin Na
• Louis Oosthuizen
• Ian Poulter
• Charl Schwartzel
• Lee Westwood
• and now Bryson DeChambeau (who announced he had resigned to join the LIV Tour)
• and Patrick Reed about to follow, if he hasn't already done so.

The reason is obvious.  Money.

Both Mickelson and Johnson were reported to receive, in appearance fees alone for their contracted period with the LIV Tour, more Saudi blood money than they had received in a couple of storied PGA Tour careers -- and one can expect that the others on this list (and the others already playing) are getting consideration commensurate with their standing.

This has been evidenced in glaring color with the "high nine-figure offer" to Tiger Woods, which he turned down...

... a move which boggled my golf-fan anonymous friend.  We now have to reconcile that what time the PGA Tour has left is probably because Tiger said no.

I've long said that the PGA Tour was going to die and be replaced by a World Golf Tour.  It is now evident that the Saudi blood butchers are going to make this happen.  This LIV Tour, barring something really bizarre, is going to be the World Golf Tour many of us have seen as a successor to the PGA, European, etc. Tours.

But that they did not get Tiger (at probably any price! -- even a billion-plus probably would've been enough for him to try it, especially because of his almost-sole focus of American fan golf interest) now means that, instead of the "Baba Booey!" and "Mashed Potatoes!" crowd being simply an annoying damage to the enjoyment of golf for everyone else, that Tiger Woods (to the extent currently possible) has saved the PGA Tour.

At least for now.

There are not many stars who haven't taken the money.  Rory McIlroy is another, and the list (especially given that the Saudi butchers and Donald Trump are in bed with each other -- and that many of the PGA Tour support the latter as well!) isn't that long.  Jordan Speith and Justin Thomas are two more.

So, on top of that the PGA Tour does not have long to establish new stars now, my friend proposes several other situations:

• More tournament experiences like the TPC in Scottsdale.  Not only may scoring opportunities draw fans to see players play "offensive golf"...
• ... but more fan experiences like Scottsdale's Stadium Sixteenth Hole may draw more fans and excitement to events.
• More pro-am events, and higher visibility to them.
• And, right now, you still have the networks.  LIV is left to do it's own YouTube channel and website.

But the facts are the facts:

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(And this is for far more than golf.)

The Saudi blood butchers literally have more money than God.  They have thrown obscene sums at these golfers and at Vince McMahon to do what is called "SportsWashing", a political effort by Saudi Arabia to cover up their murderous hardcore Islamic regime in the name of "modernization".

(Never mind even these efforts have had their moments.  Muscled brutes sending off a dissenting reporter on Thursday from Phil's press conference.  And Saudi authorities briefly kidnapping most of the WWE roster after a pissing match over millions developed between Vince McMahon and the Saudi blood bosses.)

But there is one fact which CANNOT be denied:

The future of all sport -- all sport which can and will choose to do so -- is going to be some form of ultra-money SportsWashing, often with Saudi Arabia at the forefront.

The insane money involved cannot be denied.  And, when you get right down to it, players wanna be paid.

Once Saudi Arabia starts doing the same with tennis and the like, you'll see at least the men's tour go Saudi.

That's bad enough...

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But then Deadspin came on Monday and asked an ominous question:

When does SportsWashing come for an American team?

Deadspin takes as obvious moves for the Saudis to be the next iteration beyond American involvement in ownership of world soccer for big money.

(What SOMEONE may wish to ask, especially if several of these blood families get together, is whether you could see an effort to create a breakaway world soccer league, not unakin to the European Super League model -- but new franchises entirely and massive payouts to entice the world's best soccer players (and others, like cricket) to come play for exclusive new Saudi teams and leagues.)

But Deadspin asks another question:  When does a Big Four (Deadspin notes one of the MLS New York teams is owned by an Abu Dhabi group) American team get an offer they can't refuse?

I think a very important thing has to happen first:  The "Red Tsunami" and the permanent rise of the Right/Reich Wing Reign on this country has to happen first.  I don't think it can be underestimated that the first real move of the Saudis has come in a sport and in a playerbase predominantly White and predominantly Reich Wing.

There's a very real problem with getting Saudi owners in these leagues -- they would have to be approved by the other owners and by the people running the leagues.  That's not something I see happening...  YET.

It is correct to understand the shitheads running many of these Big Four teams have no scruples -- and, if the leagues themselves had any, the Dan Snyders and Dolans and the like would be gone, for one reason or another.

But this is another situation entirely.  You already know there's significant flak being given even the Los Angeles Dodgers for their spending (and not being one of the Manfred Six -- oh, hi there, Yankees with the best record in baseball!).  Think of the discussions which would take place if that was, instead, a Saudi blood money group with unlimited funds.

Deadspin also thinks it would happen as a function of having the Saudi owners back new stadiums.  One problem with that which would tie into the White Reich:  You would eventually have to have American cities and communities which would have to ally with these Saudi blood lords on a direct basis - unless you honestly eventually expect these people to actually put stadiums and teams in the Middle East (which would create a massive problem!).

You won't see in the NFL with a harder salary cap.  

I don't think you'll see it in an NBA with that many Black players.

The NHL?  I don't think the political demographics work in most of the league.

So I think the cleanest possibility would be MAGA League Baseball.  And then you have to think, at that point, that a politically complimentary area would have to be found.  Would this mean a team or two in the Great Plains, as a demographic consideration?  A couple more in the Deep South, but not necessarily, per se, in major cities???

Consider what was rumored regarding the Qatar World Cup of soccer:  Not only was the stadium where the third-place match rumored not built, nor was the ENTIRE CITY around it!

Something to consider, that is for sure.