Let’s talk Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC!
Share this story
Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
So, the news dropped today that the Universities of Texas and Oklahoma are trying to join the SEC. The original story was broken by the Texas A&M beat writer at the Houston Chronicle, which is probably an important detail because message board scuttlebutt is that A&M leaked the plot in an effort to derail it.
Anyway, this apparently has momentum and I hate it. Not because I personally have anything against either university, but because seriously, are we really going to do this again?
The low down
Sport is an entertainment but also a lens through which we can observe many of society’s less edifying characteristics – racism, sexism, bullying, homophobia, exploitation. Sports bodies have a huge responsibility to protect young players, ensure that what we watch is uncorrupted and check that financial dealings are above board. They must also safeguard the interests of their most invested stakeholders – the fans – and guarantee that these interests are not subverted by corporate opportunism. It almost goes without saying that lawyers are critical to that mission.
‘Sporting bodies such as football or rugby clubs are, in corporate terms, usually small entities. But they have an outsize public impact,’ says Chris Scott, senior partner and founder at Slateford, which specialises in reputation, crisis management and privacy. ‘They are also considered to be community assets with an emotional contract with their stakeholders, unlike many other businesses.’
ミケルソン、笑みでファン魅了 失敗にも「彼らしい」: 日本経済新聞 nikkei.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nikkei.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Some players knew about it more than a year ago when the tour was getting ready to roll out the program until the coronavirus pandemic got in the way. Others said they didn’t know until a month ago. One player found out on Twitter. He probably won’t make the top 10.
It goes against the ideal of golf being the ultimate meritocracy. But it has merit, especially with groups backed by Saudi riches trying to lure away golf’s top players to a team-based league.
“I don’t think it’s going to be perfect,” Rory McIlroy said. “But again, I think it was a prudent move on the tour’s part to try to appease some people that were getting their heads turned by other things.”
The Premier Golf League hasn’t gone away, but neither have questions about its ultimate viability
The latest news from the upstart golf league that won’t go away diffused slowly throughout Quail Hollow Club on Tuesday, just barely beating the rainstorm that washed away an afternoon of practice for the Wells Fargo Championship.Indeed, the venture formerly known as the Premier Golf League has, according to a report from The Telegraph, progressed to the offer-making stage. Representatives for Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Justin Rose and Brooks Koepka are reportedly in possession of multi-million dollar offers - $20 million or $30 million or more, depending on which report you read - to leave behind the PGA Tour ecosystem for a new league that promises guaranteed paydays.