I’ve been wondering — I’m sure you’ve been wondering — and I get asked this question all the time: why don’t some of our millionaire athletes pool their assets and resources together and form their own professional golf tour or professional golf league? Celebrity Tour, Hall of Famers Tour, Former Athletes Over Fifty Tour, People’s Golf Tour, Second Career Players Tour, etc. Call it whatever you want — just put the wheel in motion. I have no doubt whatsoever it would be a huge success.
Believe me, there’s a market out there just dying to see it. With the right marketing strategy and IMG-type backing, the sky’s the limit.
When you’ve got all-star athletes like Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Jerry Rice, Ray Allen, Marcus Allen, Emmitt Smith, Patrick Mahomes, Lawrence Taylor, Grant Hill, Vince Carter, LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Charles Woodson, Andre Iguodala, Jerome Bettis, Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Reggie Miller, Chris Paul III, Ozzie Smith, Doc Rivers, J.R. Smith, Mike Tyson, Davante Adams — and hundreds more — I could name another fifty easily. And these are just athletes of color. We won’t even get into entertainers, actors, singers, rappers, and comedians like Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer. All these guys are passionate golfers.
Personally, I’d rather watch them than most of the players on the PGA Tour or Champions Tour — and don’t even mention the unpopular DP Tour (formerly the European Tour). How long do you think Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are going to carry the PGA Tour? They’re skating on thin ice and fighting for survival week to week.
The television networks need to recognize this too — the ratings would be through the roof.
I’ve always said: if you meet an athlete who’s in the Hall of Fame, no matter the sport, I’ll bet he owns a set of golf clubs — or soon will. Golf is like the final frontier, the next challenge for athletes over fifty or sixty, where they can still be competitive and re-energized. It’s a sport they can play until they’re 100, if fate allows. No other sport on the planet gives them that kind of opportunity or satisfaction.
Throw Tiger into the mix as a major sponsor or spokesperson, and you’ve got yourself a must-watch TV situation. The brand would grow like wildfire.
Getting these — for the most part, egotistical — athletes to buy into the idea of collaborating would probably be where the biggest challenge lies. But with someone of Tiger’s stature, and marketing genius Byron Allen’s participation, vision, and leadership, I think it would blow the golfing public away.
Since Jay Monahan, soon to be the former commissioner of the PGA Tour, is about to step aside, golf seems to be at a crossroads — ready for some new blood or a new approach to growing the game.
Look at the shot in the arm the influx of Asian players has given the LPGA Tour. One of my personal favorites to watch.
The Advocates Tour is trying to represent, but they lack star power. I applaud their effort and persistence, but as we know, golf is a sport that demands the presence of deep pockets — real deep pockets.
I, for one, believe that collaboration and the involvement of our millionaire athletes is the key to unlocking the door to a new, entertaining brand of golf.
I’m just saying. Email me your comments, I’d love to know what you think: johnpgolf@icloud.com
