Liv by the Par

Die by the par.  Par is good, but if you're trying to beat the best... you need to make birdies. The PGA tour has been making pars for years and been winning.  It has built itself into a $1.5+ billion dollar a year "non profit" monopoly machine.  However, lately the P.G.Eh. tour has been on the bogey train.

The tour prides itself on hosting the best golf competitions for the best players in the world.  {Although the actual top 3 tournaments are not hosted by the PGA tour:  The Masters, US Open and The Open}  For a company that prides itself on competitions, the PGA is not very enthusiastic about participating in a competition of their own.  What do they say about pride again?

The PGA hasn't had a competition for talent.  They have run all the best games in town for a long time but the talent is starting to be chipped away by the large purse strings of the black gold nation.  Some of the top ranked players in the world have joined LIV for multi-million dollar signing bonuses.  Signing bonuses; you know those contracts athletes get in pretty much every other professional sports league.  The PGA is against signing bonuses because... well we don't know why.  We assume it has to do with their ideals of only paying based on the players performance for the week because that's how they've done it for nearly 100 years.  We respect that "if it ain't broke" attitude but many players don't seem to feel the same way.  The LIV golf tour now has more than 15 of the top 100 golfers playing for them.  That means it might not be broke yet but the "check engine" light is on and you may want to take a look under the hood.  

Many of the players who joined LIV golf resigned their memberships to the PGA tour.  The PGA's response was to immediately suspend them.  That's right, you cant quit because you're all fired.  Or, you cant fire us because we quit?  We don't know which chicken laid this egg first but the PGA is scrambling.  They upped the purses in several events because the way to put fires out is to pour money on it.  They also changed the season schedule and reduced some field sizes to boost prize money.  Looks like they hit the ball into the water off the 1st tee and it is costing them more than just a couple strokes.

Why did this happen?  That is what the PGA should be asking.  They're probably not because we thinks, it thinks, it already knows.  Can't learn something you think you already know.  If you are looking for a reason why any company is successful you have to look at the management.  Who is the the man at the top of the PGA?  Mr. Jay Monahan.  In 2019 he earned $5,378,295 as commissioner of the PGA tour.  This put him in 8th place on the tour money list for 2019 just behind Dustin Johnson at $5.5 million.  (Of course this didnt include the $3,466,390 that Monahan also got from "related organizations."  That would have put him closer to the #1 spot on the money list.)  For a salary like that we think he probably is tournament tested.  He does have a degree in history so maybe he knows all the things that are doomed to repeat themselves.  Although he is probably human though, so even if he knows the past he might not be able to prevent the future disaster.  Is he the right person for the job?

What could be the reason to even go LIV golf?  Money.  Plane and simple?  Fly around the world in private jets to play golf for guaranteed money.  Sounds pretty sweet but we think there could be more pieces to the puzzle.  Maybe a piece is that playing for a paycheck is stressful.  Weird to think that a player may not be thrilled about traveling to a new destination every week with no guarantee of being paid.  Add to that if you don't do well this season you will get your status dropped by the PGA and have to restart that mini tour grind all over again.  Oh and those tournaments are the same structure except if you do actually manage to make the cut the paychecks are much smaller.  Who wouldn't love a constant stress and anxiety of worrying where their next paycheck will come from?  (We can actually answer that... no one. No one likes worrying if they are going to get a paycheck or not.  That sounds terrible.)

What do golf fans really want to see?  Do golf fans really care about guaranteed money?  We are golf fans here and we have to be honest... we don't care about the players paychecks or that they "earned" it by playing well.  We care about seeing our favorite players in person hitting amazing shots.  Good golf is inherently boring.   Hit fairway, hit green, make putt, repeat.  We'd like to see it get spiced up a bit.  Where is the fun?  Maybe have NFL linebackers tackling you in the middle of your swing.  We'd watch that.  Ok, maybe that's too aggressive.  

Let's pitch you a couple ideas.  Change the format. (Yes, that is what LIV golf is doing)  The important thing is to make it fun for players and viewers.  Especially on the last day of a stroke play event.  There is usually only a hand full of players in contention to actually win but there are likely to be 60+ other players on the course.  Winning is fun!  What do we suggest?  If you are going to have a normal stroke play event, have other prizes throughout the round.  How about a closest to the pin on all the par 3's for $10,000 plus $10,000 donated to that players favorite charity.  You claim to be a nonprofit... Why not show the fans everyday you play you and the players are contributing to charity?  How about a long drive on the front and back 9?  The leaders might not try hard on these but we guarantee the players out of contention will.  Why?  Because its fun to try to win something.  (especially if its money) How about a shot of the day?  The PGA picks 4 of the top shots and has a fan vote on their mobile app.  This drives fan engagement.  This drives revenue because you have sponsorship for the long drive, closest to the pin, and shot of the day.  This drives player engagement because they can still win something without winning the tournament.  Sounds more fun, right? 

When you have a disruptor in the market (LIV) it is time to get creative.  Do not sit, stroke your ego, and let your pride beat you.  The PGA has a lot of pride in itself and we all know what they say.... "We're here!  We're queer!"  Wait, that's not the pride we're talking about... We're talking about pride as the deadliest of all sins because it leads to all other sins. Pride is delusional, spiteful, and bitter.  Thankfully the PGA tour hasn't shown any of those symptoms... 

#LIV Golf... Or Die trying

#LIV Golf  or do something actually fun

#LIV Golf we kill for birdies

#LIV Golf Check out our new Sportswash 

Make your decision and LIV with it 

special deLIVery

 

Right to Bare Arms

Summer time is here and we all know what that means... Suns out Guns out.  Thanks to the 2nd amendment we all have the right to bare those arms.  The founding fathers wanted to make sure that if you've been spending long hours sculpting those bi's and tri's you are free hit the boardwalk in your favorite tank and show em off.  Watch out ladies and gents because there is no controlling those jacked up fire arms.  We all know those things are considered to be serious weapons that should come with their own holsters.  Bad news for the haters because there is no holstering those things unless they find a way to ban free weights and protein powder.  That ain't happening because GNC has their lobbyist hyped up on their new supplement "Rage Fuel."  Try the new "Rage Fuel" it will make you and your workouts insane!  We guess no bans are happening on ripped biceps but should we consider being more responsible with guns that shoot bullets?

The 2nd amendment does give the right to bear Arms but there are no directions on how to acquire these "bear" arms.  Are there even enough bears to give that many people their arms?  That would totally wipe out the bear population.  Plus the black bear arms will be smaller than the brown bear arms.  Now all of the sudden we have not fair, bear arms.  If someone asked to borrow the bear arms you kept in your basement on a tall shelf, then you'd have to go downstairs, use a chair, just to share, your not fair bear arms.  We'll have bear farms that only care about bear arms.  Imagine if the gates broke loose on those bear farms.  We'd have swarms of bears arms that came from the bear farms.  Then we'd actually have to bear Arms to shoot the bear swarms.  That would lead to an oversupply of bear meat and bear rugs and an epic collapse would follow in the market for those goods.  What about polar bear arms?  Are they any better?  We shiver at the thought.  That idea went south pole and now that we've run cold and can barely think if bear arms would be a safer choice than assault rifles.  We're pretty sure its a misspelling in the constitution and its clearly the right to Bare Arms.

A new mass shooting seems to be happening nearly everyday and the debate on actual gun control has been under fire.  Both sides of the isle have been taking aim at solutions but we're gonna shoot it to ya straight.  There are some democrats that propose taking all guns away from all people.  Sounds doable. (insert sarcastic eyeroll)  There are some Republicans that propose to give more guns to everyone.  Seriously, its about time your baby learned to defend itself.  Ted Cruz was reported as saying "have you ever seen a baby get kidnapped that had a gun?  Of course not.  Then, why are we not arming our children?"  As usual Cruz has no flaws in his impeccable logic.  Cruz did not actually say that but try not hear his voice in that statement.  Seriously, we can see Ted Cruz in a town hall meeting with a straight face ask "why are we not arming our children?"  Then look at everyone in the crowd like they are the insane ones.  

Americans link their freedom with guns.  We fought for our freedom with guns so we must use them to maintain that freedom.  Guns are power and with that power you can control and defend your freedom.  Of course, you can also control and defend your tyranny.  So, choose wisely friend.  Dang y'all.  No uns ever be understandin a coin havin two sides in all.  That really gums up the ol' freedom rifle from shootin straight.  Who'd a thunk it? 

Republicans use the claim that the guns are not the problem.  That taking away guns and/or controlling guns is not the answer.  Then, what is the problem and/or solution?  Please enlighten us.  The people?  Brilliant... take away the people and the guns cant shoot anyone.  That idea cant miss.  Mental illness?  Turns out our human brains do often get in the way of nearly every smart decision we've ever tried to make, but it is very likely that most people who shoot themselves or others is suffering from short or long term mental distress.  Not enough people with guns?  Is that a real problem?  We've never had a gun but still have problems.  Sounds like a conundrum... Guns:  The solution to and cause of all the worlds problems.

Both democrats and republicans have put forth very not insane ideas that are readily and easily accomplishable.  Wait... that doesn't sound like our government... Reload.  Both sides will argue extremes for an extended period of time before coming to an agreement that has no immediate or noticeable effect.  Bullseye.  As usual we tend to think outside the range.  We say that we give guns to everyone then immediately take them away.  Nothing hurts more than loss and this way everyone feels like a loser.  Try to shoot down that logic.  

The bottom line is the news does a great job of bringing to lite the mass shootings happening all around the United States because it gets your attention.  (That is the news' goal, getting your attention) The unfortunate truth is that a person is more likely to use a gun to kill themselves than to kill someone else.  54% of all gun related deaths are suicides but we don't hear about those deaths.  We don't hear about the depressed family member who took their own life because they incorrectly assumed the lives of everyone around them would be better without them.  Those deaths aren't on the news.  Those deaths are at home.  Those deaths stay at home and never go away.  Those deaths are quiet and sad, and leave behind exactly that in their wake.  They leave behind the ones left crying as they scrub endlessly in an effort to get the blood out of the floor.  It wont come out no matter how long you scrub or how much bleach you use.  That blood stains forever.  Even when they are washed away and covered up with a rug.  The blood is there in the form of regret, anger, and confusion.  A reminder of warning signs ignored.  A realization that the person you love was too afraid to ask for help.  A confrontation that in a moment of doubt, fear, loathing and unimaginable hurt they made the easy choice.  Instead of turning to you for help and having the hardest conversation a human can have with another they took the easy way out.  They grabbed that gun in the top dresser drawer and made all the pain go away in an instant.  But the blood stays behind.  We could have stopped this if only...  if only there wasn't a gun in the house.

If you are or you know someone struggling with thoughts of suicide, you are not alone.  We all have moments of weakness but you have to take the first step to helping yourself.  Talk to someone you love but if you cant do that... Please use these resources:  Things will get better.

 Suicide Help Line

800-273-8255

Suicide Prevention Help