IMG has extended its long-standing, exclusive worldwide partnership with the Premier League to manage, license and market its video archive, until 2025.
The representation agreement will see all upcoming match coverage and interviews over the next three seasons (2022/23-2024/25), totalling 1,140 matches, made available on IMG’s digital archive platform, IMGReplay.com.
IMG has represented the Premier League archive for the past 20 years. All of the most iconic moments and incredible goals from the Premier League’s exciting history, covering 11,646 matches and more than 30,000 goals over 30 seasons, are now available as a fully digitised archive to be licensed via IMG Replay.
Paul Molnar, Chief Media Officer at the Premier League, said: “We’ve forged an extremely successful partnership with IMG over the past 20 years, and are pleased to continue that working relationship over the coming seasons. IMG has proved itself a trusted partner in delivering the very best of the Premier League’s moments around the world, and we look forward to driving further growth together beyond 2022.”
Tom Barnes, Vice President of IMG Replay, said: “IMG Replay plays host to the best sports video archives from around the world, connecting storytellers to the moments that matter. We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership and cement IMG Replay as the home of the Premier League’s most iconic moments. Whether its Sergio Agüero’s last minute title winner against QPR or Dennis Bergkamp’s majestic pirouette goal against Newcastle United, we’re giving storytellers unbeatable access.”
IMG Replay is one of the largest sports archives in the world with more than 400,000 hours of footage resulting from representationdeals with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), World Rugby, The Wimbledon Championships, the R&A (The Open), ATP Media, DP World Tour, UFC, Bundesliga and many more.
Little Dot Sport, award-winning digital content agency and media network Little Dot Studios’ sport specialist label, has been awarded a three year social media and digital content contract for The Scotland National Football Team and The Scottish Cup, starting 1st August.
Little Dot Sport will assist with the Scotland National Team and The Scottish Cup’s official YouTube and Facebook channels. The partnership will oversee output for the organisation’s biggest social channels by utilising Little Dot Sport’s specialist industry knowledge to create and distribute content, along with leading on community management to increase audience reach and engagement for each social platform. The collaboration will provide content across player features, match highlights, the best archive content and live streaming for the National Men’s, Women’s and Youth Football Teams, together with The Scottish Cup.
Michael Paterson, Scottish FA Head of Marketing and Partnerships, commented: “We’ve been extremely impressed with all Little Dot Sport have achieved in collaboration with their existing partners. With their support, we know we can bring fans even more of the access and content they want from the national teams and from the best cup competition in the world. We can’t wait to get started and we’re sure it won’t be long before Scottish football fans start to see the benefit.”
Robbie Spargo, Director of Little Dot Sport, said: “We can’t wait to put Scottish football fans at the heart of the social media we produce during this partnership. It’s an exciting year for Scottish football with the Women’s National team making it to the World Cup play off stages and 2022 marking the 150th year of the National Scotland Team. Little Dot Sport is ready to celebrate Scottish football through this collaboration, as the national teams and the Scottish Cup grow from strength to strength.”
The Scotland National Football team and Scottish Cup joins Little Dots Sport’s roster of over 30 retained clients including global sport federations, clubs, broadcasters and brands such as Formula E, the England & Wales Cricket Board, Premiership Rugby, Eurosport, Serie A, eSkootr Championship™ (eSC) and most recently, Ascot Racecourse, which was announced last month.
Following a successful negotiation between beIN SPORTS and DAZN, they are delighted to announce that we have secured a deal together, where DAZN will be broadcasting all matches of Ligue 1 exclusively on the channel in Japan.
This is a fantastic result for the top French football league, taking the broadcast of the premium European league to Japanese fans this season.
BeIN SPORTS are the exclusive distributor of Ligue 1 rights internationally. The deal, arranged and concluded on Saturday, 30 July, demonstrates beIN SPORTS’ commitment to elevating the profile – and value – of the Ligue amongst fans and markets all around the world.
In November 2021, it successfully arranged for the broadcast in Belgium (with Eleven Sports), India (Viacom 18), Norway (Amedia), Spain (Enjoy Television), Sweden (Bonnier) and Vietnam (with VTV Cab brokered by the Reddentes Sports agency).
With the DAZN deal, it takes the league to over 50 broadcasters, reaching 200+ territories. BeIN SPORTS are continuing to play a crucial role in ensuring the French league, with its star-studded player line-up across all clubs, is appealing to the hearts and minds of football fans all around the world.
The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the launch of the “NBA Creator Series,” a series of original artwork commissioned by the NBA featuring artists from France, Greece, Italy, Spain and the UK in celebration of the league’s landmark 75th Anniversary Season in 2021-22.
Featuring a diverse range of styles and compositions, each piece of artwork is centred around the artists’ passion for the NBA, their favourite moments from the league’s history, and the connections between Europe and the game of basketball. Beginning tomorrow Tuesday, Aug. 2 and continuing every Tuesday throughout the month, each piece of art will be released across the NBA’s social media channels in Europe. Each release will be accompanied by behind-the-scenes video content of each artist focussing on their development of the artwork and relationships with basketball and the NBA. Below are brief overviews of each artist participating in the NBA Creator Series and their work:
Anaïa Hoard (France):Anaïa, who has represented France internationally in basketball, including winning a gold medal at the 2017 U-16 European Championship and a silver medal at the 2017 U-17 World Championship, combined her passion for basketball with art studies in the United States. Born in Evreux and living in Montpellier, her profile as an artist grew significantly when she began to share charcoal portraits of athletes and artists on her Instagram account because of their staggering realism. She also takes inspiration from causes that matter to her, which comes across in her work. Anaïa’s artwork will be released Aug. 2 on Facebook (@NBAFrance), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAFrance) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).
Charis Tsevis (Greece): Based in Pafos, Cyprus, Charis is a multiple award-winning visual designer, illustrator and art director who specializes in digital mosaics, high-complexity illustrations and neo-futuristic compositions. Since 1996, Charis has been a visiting professor of editorial design and typography at several educational institutes around the world and has delivered lectures at a number of national and international conferences and symposiums. Charis’s artwork will be released Aug. 9 on Facebook (@NBAHellas), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@nbahellas) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).
Maria Emegé (Spain): María Emegé is an illustrator, video game concept artist and designer from Madrid. She has illustrated for international companies, books, magazines and NFT galleries, and has given lectures and taught classes at the university level. Her specialty is traditional watercolor art, with which she paints live at events and sells original work to major art collectors. Maria’s artwork will be released Aug. 16 on Facebook (@NBASpain), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAspain) and YouTube (@NBAEurope and @NBASPAIN).
Reuben Dangoor (UK): British artist Reuben Dangoor creates work heavily influenced by current affairs and his surroundings in London. As the first artist to bring the stars of the Grime music movement into British museums, his work and collaborations have appeared in TV shows and as part of consumer and fashion brands and videogames. In 2018, his work went viral when his line drawings of the England Men’s National Football Team were picked up online, in print and on TV. Reuben’s artwork will be released Aug. 23 on Facebook (@nbauk), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAUK) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).
Francesco Persichella (Italy): Born in Bari, Francesco Persichella, aka “Piskv,” is an architect and visual artist currently based in Rome. Having always been interested in architecture and art, he tries to find a synthesis through street art that allows him to interact with the architectural context, enhancing it through the beauty of representation. His artistic career developed in Italy’s capital city, where he made himself known by carrying out numerous street art interventions in the city and participating in exhibitions and events. His aesthetic ranges from the realistic to the futuristic-cubist geometric style, all united by a purely figurative attitude. Piskv’s artwork will be released Aug. 30on Facebook (@NBAItalia), Instagram (@NBAEurope), Twitter (@NBAItalia) and YouTube (@NBAEurope).
Stuart Williamson is to become Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at The Jockey Club, which stages many of British horseracing’s leading events, including the Cheltenham Festival, the Randox Grand National and the Cazoo Derby.
He will take up the position on The Jockey Club’s Executive Team on Monday 26th September, becoming responsible for all external and internal communications and reputation management for the largest employer in Britain’s second-biggest spectator sport. He will report to Chief Executive, Nevin Truesdale.
Stuart joins from Nationwide Building Society where he was Director of Communications, responsible for internal and external communication and reputation management, and providing strategic communication advice to the CEO, Executive, Chair and Board.
He has worked across a range of communications roles since joining Nationwide in 2009, including as Director of Internal Communication and Head of Media Relations.
Stuart previously worked for communications consultancies, representing the likes of British Gas, Mars, Heinz, Lloyds TSB (as was), British Airways and John West. His first role was with a consultancy in Cheltenham where he supported The Jockey Club’s Cheltenham Racecourse.
He will succeed Scott Bowers who will stand down after 12 years to launch Spectacle Partners, a reputation advisory firm working in sport and entertainment, alongside 2022 FIFA World Cup communications advisor and two-time broadcast sports journalist of the year while at the BBC, Richard Conway.
Stuart Williamson said: “The Jockey Club occupies a unique place in British racing, sport and wider society through the iconic sporting moments it stages, enabling it to invest all profits back into the long term good of the sport. I’m really excited to be joining Nevin and the team. It’s a pivotal time for the horseracing industry and I’m committed to building on Scott and the team’s great work and contributing to a thriving sport for the benefit of all.”
Nevin Truesdale said: “Stuart is clearly a hugely talented corporate affairs and communications professional, and we are very excited he will be joining our team following a highly competitive process. His experience at Nationwide in particular will be valuable in helping to advise The Jockey Club’s Executive and Board on strategic decision making that helps us to live up to our mission to act for the long-term benefit of British Racing, as well as how to communicate to the wide variety of audiences who matter to us.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Scott for everything he has given to The Jockey Club, his colleagues and British horseracing for more than a decade. He has been a hugely valued and respected member of our Executive Team. He leaves an award-winning legacy and fantastic team of communicators as testament of his work, which we will look to build on.”
Veloce Esports has revealed an exciting partnership with world-leading simulation brand Next Level Racing, aimed at encouraging greater innovation within the sector.
This collaboration sees Next Level Racing become Veloce’s Official Cockpit Provider, as they supply the squad’s leading esports drivers with specialist hardware and equipment.
With both organisations continuing to excel in the esports industry, Veloce and Next Level Racing will also proactively work together for the benefit of the sim-racing community, including attending events and hosting competitions – both online and in-person.
Founded in 2009, Next Level Racing has earned itself a top spot among simulation brands, revolutionising simulation with its industry leading product range, sold in more than 40 countries.
At the heart of both Next Level Racing and Veloce lies a focus on innovation and quality to meet the ever-changing demands of sim racers and gamers, with the former now providing the latter with the highest quality and reliable hardware available.
Next Level Racing continues to lead the market, while maintaining a strong presence and partners in the global gaming industry, which now includes Veloce.
Meanwhile, Veloce Esports is the world’s leading esports and racing growth platform focused on innovation within the gaming, sport, media and entertainment sectors; comprising high-profile drivers, influencers and teams from across the globe.
There will be many events for the community to enjoy throughout the duration of this partnership, with Next Level Racing benefiting from Veloce’s ever-expanding online ecosystem, with monthly viewership figures in excess of 500 million.
Cam Royal, Head of Talent at Veloce Esports, said: “Since the start of the year, Veloce has continued to elevate and improve our in-house esports programme and we have actively been seeking a cockpit provider which shares our ethos of wanting to enrich the environment for sim-racing drivers and also provide opportunity to them. We feel Next Level Racing is that partner; and we are thrilled to enter into this partnership where we will work collectively to give back to the community and ensure both new and existing talent have the best hardware available.”
Kam Khadem, Head of Brand at Next Level Racing, said: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Veloce Esports. This partnership allows both organizations to work more closely together to support Veloce esports drivers with our cockpits in highest level of sim racing competitions. We also look forward to creating an engaged experience for the sim racing community with several online and in person activations. Veloce’s extensive experience in motorsports and esports make them the perfect partner for Next Level Racing.”
Just one year since SailGP launched its ground-breaking Impact League, the world-first initiative is already delivering on its promise to embed sustainability action into the fabric of sport and ignite the competitive nature of its world-class athletes.
Unveiled in Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City, in July last year – the scene for this weekend’s Great Britain Sail Grand Prix – the Impact League is sport’s first podium for the planet and tracks the positive actions teams make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing.
A survey completed by all SailGP athletes showed that nearly 80 per cent believe the Impact League has changed the way they behaved, while two thirds said the Impact League has the potential to change the mindsets of fans to act more sustainably.
In a huge vote of confidence, 84 percent of SailGP athletes think other sports should introduce an Impact League.
Despite still being in its infancy, global director of purpose and impact Fiona Morgan said the Impact League was already proving to be a revolutionary initiative.
“I’m really proud of how all the teams have embraced the Impact League and changed their behaviour,” Morgan said. “When we first introduced the concept, I think people were worried it would take away from performance and be a distraction, but it’s been the opposite and a big opportunity for all involved. It’s amazing how quickly athletes saw the benefit. Harnessing the competitive nature of our athletes and infusing it with social, environmental sustainability and impact has been incredible to see.”
Highlights of the Impact League’s maiden year include teams reducing their on-water chase boat fuel usage by more than 10 per cent by becoming significantly more efficient, and removing a wide range of single-use plastics from the F50 race boat. In addition, team-reported submissions show more and more athletes are embracing plant-based diets (vegetarian or vegan) – with 60 percent of SailGP athletes now going meat-free at events.
In the latest demonstration of teams’ commitments to keeping their carbon footprint and travel to events as low as possible, three members of the Great Britain SailGP Team – Neil Hunter, Matt Gotrel and Luke Parkinson – cycled more than 450 miles over two days to arrive in Plymouth.
The first-ever winning team – New Zealand – earned USD $100,000 for its purpose partner Live Ocean to fund partner research into the importance of kelp forests and their regeneration, while Great Britain came second, collecting $35,000 for STEM Crew and Australia finished third to walk away with $15,000 for Parley for the Oceans.
Through the Great Britain SailGP Team’s digital education resources and events of Protect our Future and STEM Crew, the two programmes have reached more than 20,000 students with resources highlighting the science behind sustainability projects on and off the water.
The Australia SailGP Team used the Impact League to secure a commercial partnership with sustainable digital banking brand WLTH, who are committed to funding clean-ups of coastline in Australia for every race the Australia SailGP Team wins. Joining its Race For the Future partner Parley For The Oceans, the partnership has to-date converted a total of 15,700m² of Australian beach and coastlines to be free from harmful plastics and rubbish.
Using teams’ global platforms and their voices for good has also been incentivized through the Impact League, with the Denmark SailGP Team generating more than 13.5 million views of its sustainability-related content series ‘Beneath The Surface’.
The New Zealand SailGP Team also used its voice to play a role in the signing of an historic agreement between the Governments of New Zealand and Spain to address the conservation emergency facing seabirds that migrate across international waters, including albatrosses and petrels.
While the tangible results of the Impact League are already evident, SailGP has much greater long-term ambitions.
Morgan said: “We want to be the most purpose-driven and sustainable sport in the world, and the Impact League is just one of the ways we’re doing that. Ultimately, we have an ambition to have one integrated league where the racing and purpose are combined and celebrated together because sport should care and act on both – that is the future.
“We need to start slowly and integrate it more into the league, so we’re just getting started and you’ll see more and more sporting and performance benefits given to Impact League winners and I really hope other sports follow suit.”
In the latest evolution to integrate Impact League rewards into performance, the winners of the Impact League at each event will be given a golden ticket to choose their craning slot, which effectively allows teams more training and coaching time on the water compared to others – an invaluable prize when training time in the global championship is so precious.
Denmark will make the most of it at the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix this week – July 30-31. As Impact League winners from the T-Mobile United States Sail Grand Prix, the team will get to choose a day when it can launch the boat earlier or later than others to capitalize on time on the water. Something that could make all the difference to the results this weekend.
As Borussia Dortmund kick off the season in the first round of the DFB Pokal, Mighty Jaxx (the award-winning future culture company) has announced the latest release of their exclusive Mighty Allstars collectibles series- The BVB collection! Which includes Borussia Dortmund’s new jersey which was announced just today!
Featuring the formidable Niklas Süle and talented Jude Bellingham, these premium 8” vinyl art collectibles see the players kitted out in the new BVB Cup Jersey for the 2022/23 season.
This new jersey will be worn by BVB players when competing in the UEFA Champions League & DFB Pokal Cup and is reminiscent of the ‘89 cup jersey in which the team achieved great success and brought the cup to the Borsigplatz.
Available for $159 each, these collectibles form part of a phygital experience-enabled collectible art series and purchasing them gives you access to extended digital experiences, exclusive drops, and more.
There is more information about the BVB x YARMS Studio collection below for consideration of a quick feature, mention, inclusion or round-up.
Warner Bros. Discovery Sports (WBDS) today reports record-breaking audience engagement across 50 markets in Europe for its comprehensive coverage of the Tour de France. Highlights include:
Triple-digit Tour de France streaming growth on discovery+
discovery+ grows its Tour de France streaming audience by five times compared to 2021
Streaming across all digital platforms* including the Eurosport App increases by almost a third (32%) year-on-year
Strong linear performance despite wider industry trend of declining TV consumption
Best overall pan-Europe Tour de France television performance for five years with record audience tune-in in key markets including France, Spain and Norway
TV viewership across Europe on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2 rises by 23% versus 2021
Fans are consuming more cycling content, stories and bonus videos online
Increasing video consumption trend on Eurosport.com sees rise in media starts by half (50%) the total from 2021.
Total video minutes watched by fans grows by 40% year-on-year
The ‘home of cycling’ offered viewers access to every minute of all 21 stages of the Tour de France through uninterrupted streaming on discovery+, the Eurosport App and GCN+ in addition to television coverage on Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2, and news and views from the best cycling experts on Eurosport.com.
It continues to cover every stage of the inaugural Tour de France Femmes across all platforms. This includes expert analysis from its mixed reality Cube studio with its innovations harnessed to further enhance the viewing experience for WBDS’ Tour de France coverage for the first time.
The news follows WBDS’ record half-year announcement earlier in the month, which reported audience growth on every channel and platform during January to June 2022.
David Alexander, managing director of Calculus PR, takes a look at the new LIV Tour and the public relations mistakes it continues to make.
A new golf competition backed by funding from Saudi Arabia that claims that it plans to grow the game, LIV Golf has always seemed like a money-making scheme for its players without the competition or recognition that sporting competition requires.
After the manhandling and ejection of journalists asking justifiable questions about the event and its vision, the organisers of LIV Golf should have taken a pause, re-grouped and shown a greater level of humility and engagement with both fans and stakeholders.
With suitable advisers, they could have gone into greater detail about their plans, and with the wealth of Saudi Arabia behind them, there is no reason why they could not have put together some highly ambitious global community initiatives.
“They continue to create chasms that are damaging the sport they are proclaiming to support – all while accusations of sportswashing endure.”
They could have advised their recruited players to show humility too – rather than have them respond aggressively to journalists that they need to work hard to get onside.
The LIV Golf organisers could also have worked hard to engage and negotiate with golf’s governance, particularly in light of suspensions for players by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
But instead, they continue to create chasms that are damaging the sport they are proclaiming to support – all while accusations of sportswashing endure.
Golf legend Tiger Woods made his feelings clear ahead of The Open, saying: “I know what the PGA Tour stands for and what we have done and what the Tour has given us, the ability to chase after our careers and to earn what we get and the trophies we have been able to play for and the history that has been a part of this game.
“What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You’re just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They’re playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different.”
Speaking ahead of The Open, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers also raised doubts about LIV Golf’s claims about growing the game when the structure has worked well until now.
He said: “I firmly believe that the existing golf ecosystem has successfully provided stable pathways for golfers to enter the sport and develop and realize their full potential.
“I would also like to say that in my opinion, the continued commentary that this is about growing the game is just not credible and, if anything, is harming the perception of our sport which we are working so hard to improve.”
Even during The Open, victor Cameron Smith did not rule out joining LIV Golf which can already name Major winners such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau on its roster.
The latest controversy has seen Henrik Stenson, who was only announced as Europe’s Ryder Cup captain in March, being stripped of the honour after links with LIV Golf.
A Ryder Cup statement read: “In light of decisions made by Henrik in relation to his personal circumstances, it has become clear that he will not be able to fulfil certain contractual obligations to Ryder Cup Europe that he had committed to prior to his announcement as Captain on Tuesday March 15, 2022, and it is therefore not possible for him to continue in the role of Captain.”
Stenson was later confirmed along with Charles Howell III and Jason Kokrak and the Swede said in a statement that he believed he should have been permitted to retain his role.
He said: “As many of you will have already seen, unfortunately my decision to play in LIV events has triggered Ryder Cup Europe to communicate that it is not possible for me to continue in my role as Ryder Cup captain.
“This is despite me making specific arrangements with LIV Golf, who has been supportive of my role as captain, to ensure I could fulfill the obligations of the captaincy. While I disagree with this decision for now it is a decision that I accept.”
Stenson’s decision could be interpreted as a way of recovering financially after he lost millions in the ponzi scheme conducted by jailed Allen Stanford.
Former European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie, who guided Europe to victory at Celtic Manor in 2010, said Stenson’s sacking was “a sad day for European golf.
“It is the greatest honour which can be bestowed on any European Tour player, captain of the Ryder Cup team. It is a shame it has even come to this position.”
European Tour pro Rob Lee said on Sky Sports: “Henrik had an agreement with the Tour that he would be their guy all the way through to the Ryder Cup next year, but if he reneges on that then he has decided his own fate.
“As an Open champion and as the Ryder Cup captain he had a great legacy going on, especially with the mixed event he promoted with Annika Sorenstam. But he’s just flushing all that down the toilet by joining LIV. Fortunately the Ryder Cup is bigger than Henrik Stenson.”
Billy Horschel, went further against the LIV players complaining about their bans from PGA and DP World Tour events.
“I’ve been really frustrated by it because there’s a lot of guys that are hypocrites, that aren’t telling the truth, that are lying about some things, and I just can’t stand to sit here anymore and be diplomatic about it as I have been in the past,” he said.
“I don’t fault anyone for going to play the LIV tour. I don’t have any ill will for anyone going to play the LIV tour. I have ill will toward comments that they’ve made, comments saying that Jay Monahan doesn’t listen, the PGA Tour doesn’t listen to us.
“I believe they made their bed. They decided to go play on a tour, and they should go play that tour. They shouldn’t be coming back over here to play the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. To say that they wanted to also support this tour or the DP or PGA tour going forward, while playing the LIV tour, is completely asinine in my opinion. I have no ill will, but I’m just tired of hearing comments that aren’t truthful.”
Greg Norman, CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, sees things differently.
Before the Stenson recruitment, he said: “It’s been a historic two months for LIV Golf as we’ve established a new era for the sport that delivers unique energy, camaraderie, and competition.
“In just six rounds of live action, we have created a golf environment that has captured the world’s attention and attracted young, passionate fans around the globe.
“We are excited to take another giant leap forward at the beautiful Trump National Golf Club Bedminster where our players are eager to tee off in pursuit of the third individual and team titles of the season.
But Norman, who was photographed watching a journalist being ejected from the first event in England at the same time as he denied knowledge of it, has been more than bullish about criticism coming his way.
Norman had previously messaged Golf Channel analyst, Brandel Chamblee, praising his journalism: “Keep being you and call it the way you see it. Refreshing.”
Ironically, once Chamblee was critical of Liv Golf, Norman used an interview with The Palm Beach Post in which he said: “I find it laughable. Has Brandel Chamblee ever been to Saudi Arabia? Has he ever built a golf course in a third world country?
“He’s a paid talking bobblehead. That’s all he is. He’s got my phone number. He’s never picked up a phone and asked me a question. Sadly, you’re making yourself look like a jerk. It’s like water off a duck’s back to me.”
Given Norman’s aggressive approach to criticism, is it any wonder Chamblee has not approached him and what does it say about Norman that he threw his toys out of the pram when the narrative didn’t suit him?
Woods believes disrupting the status quo has always been part of Norman’s plan and added: “I know Greg tried to do this back in the early ’90s. It didn’t work then, and he’s trying to make it work now. I still don’t see how that’s in the best interests of the game.
“What the European Tour and what the PGA Tour stands for and what they’ve done, and also all the professional – all the governing bodies of the game of golf and all the major championships, how they run it. I think they see it differently than what Greg sees it.”
The third event of the series, the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster, will run from 29-31 July at Trump National Golf Club in New Jersey.
That itself has drawn criticism, with Brett Eagleson, whose father died in the 9/11 attacks, condemning Donald Trump’s change of heart when the financial offer became too much.
“The former President correctly speculated in 2016 that Saudi Arabia knocked down the towers and now the FBI has released the documents to prove him right,” Eagleson told CNN, “yet he is choosing money over America. So much for America First. A sad day.”
Trump typically hit back on Truth Social, his social media platform, and said: “All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year.
“If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were.”
As the BBC’s golf correspondent Iain Carter observed, Stenson is the world’s 171st-ranked player who has not posted a top-10 finish in a full field event for almost a year.
But as Ryder Cup captain, he added that “it can only be interpreted as a direct attack on the DP World Tour. It further destabilises the running of elite men’s golf.”
Given that, along with Garcia, LIV Golf has also recruited Ryder Cup stars such as Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Graeme McDowell, it’s hard to conclude anything else.
