22 JULY, 2022 - SHANK MEDIA: BY MATT HOOPER: GOLF MAGIC AND VARIOUS OTHER SOURCES ARE REPORTING THAT ADIDAS HAVE SHOWN INTEREST IN SPONSORING OR BUYING THE LIV GOLF 4ACES TEAM, WHICH CURRENTLY IS CAPTAINED BY ADIDAS BRAND AMBASSADOR DUSTIN JOHNSON. THIS IS PERHAPS SET TO BE A WATERSHED MOMENT FOR LIV GOLF WITH SUCH A HUGE SPORTING BRAND POTENTIALLY BUYING INTO THEIR PRODUCT, GIVING LIV GOLF THE WORLDWIDE VALIDATION IT HAS NEEDED SINCE IT LAUNCHED AT THE CENTURION CLUB IN JUNE.
THE REPORTS ARE YET TO BE CONFIRMED BY EITHER LIV GOLF OR ADIDAS, BUT THEY SEEM TO BE CREDIBLE AND REALISTIC. ADIDAS ARE RENOWNED FOR SPONSORING TEAM SPORTS AND HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN GOLF FOR OVER 20 YEARS. THEY SPONSOR DUSTIN JOHNSON, SERGIO GARCIA AND ADRIAN ORTAEGUI, ALL OF WHOM HAVE PLAYED IN BOTH THE FIRST TWO LIV GOLF EVENTS AT CENTURION AND PUMPKIN RIDGE.
IF ADIDAS WERE TO BUY A 'FRANCHISE' IN LIV GOLF, AND THE FEE IS REPORTED TO BE AN EYE-WATERING $1BILLION, IT WOULD SURELY OPEN THE FLOODGATES FOR OTHER BRANDS AND COMPANIES TO BECOME INVOLVED WITH THE SAUDI-ARABIAN BACKED ORGANISATION FRONTED BY GREG NORMAN. THERE HAS ALSO BEEN ADDITIONAL REPORTS OF SRIXON BEING INTERESTED IN OWNING AN ALL-JAPANESE TEAM, WHICH WOULD POTENTIALLY BE CAPTAINED BY HIDEKI MATSUYAMA, AND AT&T HAVE ALSO BEEN SAID TO BE INTERESTED IN OWNING A FRANCHISE.
SHOULD AT&T BECOME INVOLVED WITH LIV IT WOULD BE A DEVASTATING BLOW TO THE PGA TOUR, WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY SPONSORING THE PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM AND THE BYRON NELSON TOURNAMENT IN TEXAS, AS WELL AS BEING A MAJOR PARTNER OF THE MASTERS FOR YEARS. AT&T ALSO SPONSOR JORDAN SPIETH, AND IF THEY WERE TO PURCHASE A LIV GOLF FRANCHISE HE WOULD SURELY HAVE PRESSURE PUT ON HIM TO JOIN LIV OR END HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMPANY.
IF ADIDAS BUY A FRANCHISE, THEN WHAT ABOUT NIKE? IF SRIXON BUY A FRANCHISE, THEN WHAT ABOUT TITLEIST, CALLAWAY OR PING? AND FOR ALL THE TALK ABOUT LIV GOLF'S BUSINESS MODEL NOT BEING SUSTAINABLE, IF EACH OF THE 12 FRANCHISE OWNERS BUY A FRANCHISE FOR $1BILLION THEN LIV GOLF WOULD SEEM TO HAVE BUILT A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS AND ONE WHICH WILL CHANGE THE FACE OF GOLF FOREVER.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IS ANYONE'S IDEA, BUT NEXT WEEK THE 48 PLAYERS WILL TEE IT UP AT TRUMP BEDMINSTER FOR EVENT 3 OF THE INAUGURAL SEASON, AND STILL THE ONLY RESPONSE THE ESTABLISHMENT HAS IT TO BAN PLAYERS AND TALK ABOUT LEGACY, I HAVE TO WONDER NOW, WHO IS STILL LISTENING?
