One of the Biggest Boondoggles in Sports History Is All but Dead. The Damage Is Real.
LIV Golf is effectively defunct after Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced it would cease funding the league after the current season. Despite attempts to rebrand and attract new investors, the league failed to gain significant viewership or impact the sport meaningfully. Its legacy includes financial losses, reputational damage to golf, and ethical concerns tied to its Saudi backers.
- ▪Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund announced it would stop funding LIV Golf after the current season, effectively ending the league's operations.
- ▪LIV Golf failed to attract television viewers despite spending hundreds of millions on star player contracts.
- ▪The league did not fundamentally change golf or grow the sport's global audience as claimed by its participants.
- ▪Top golfers like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau joined LIV Golf despite awareness of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
- ▪LIV Golf's primary purpose was tied to Saudi geopolitical goals under Mohammed bin Salman, not commercial or sporting success.
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Sports One of the Biggest Boondoggles in Sports History Is All but Dead The wreckage of LIV Golf will haunt the sport for years to come. By Alex Kirshner Follow Alex Signed Up For Email Alerts Error Signing Up For Email Alerts Close Enter your email to receive alerts for this author. Thanks for signing up! You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. You're already subscribed to the aa_Alex_Kirshner newsletter. You can manage your newsletter subscriptions at any time. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again, or manage all your newsletter subscriptions here . <div class="slate-notification--error"> Please enable javascript to sign up for newsletters. </div> Email address: Sign Up By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Slate Magazine.