Camron Flanders
ON FRIDAY FOOTBALL, FORMULA 1 AND SKIING TOOK ACTION TO CONDEMN THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE, REMOVING HIGH PROFILE SPORTS EVENTS FROM THE COUNTRY AND IN SOME CASES ENDING HIGHLY LUCRATIVE SPONSORSHIP DEALS WITH MAJOR RUSSIAN-OWNED COMPANIES. 19 OF THE 20 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS SAID THEY WOULD NOT RACE IN THE RUSSIAN GRAND PRIX, HAAS F1 TEAM REMOVED THE SPONSORS LOGO FROM THEIR CAR AND CHANGED THE LIVERY, AND ARE CONSIDERING ENDING THEIR CONTRACT WITH RUSSIAN DRIVER NIKITA MAZEPIN.
RUSSIAN TENNIS STARS DANIIL MEDVEDEV AND ANDREY RUBLEV HAVE OUTSPOKENLY CONDEMNED THE INVASION, AND RUBLEV EVEN WROTE "NO TO WAR" ON THE CAMERA AFTER HIS ATP MATCH EARLIER ON FRIDAY. EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL GAMES INVOLVING RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN CLUBS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED, AND THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE ACTION TO COME ACROSS SPORT, AND EUROVISION HAS ALSO EXPELLED RUSSIA FROM THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST.
BUT THERE IS ONE SPORT WHICH HAS STAYED ALMOST COMPLETELY SILENT, UNACCEPTABLY SO. GOLF WAS BORN IN EUROPE, IN SCOTLAND AND SOME ARGUE, IN THE NETHERLANDS, THE MAJOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS OF EUROPE ARE OVER A CENTURY OLD, AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR UNITED THOSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER A CONTINENT-WIDE BANNER IN 1972, 50 YEARS AGO. THEN IN 1979 THE GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND TEAM WAS EXPANDED AND EUROPE HAS BECOME A POWER IN WORLD GOLF SINCE THAT MOMENT, WINNING 11 OF THE LAST 21 RYDER CUP MATCHES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. EUROPEAN GOLFERS HAVE GONE ON TO WIN THE MASTERS A STUNNING 13 TIMES SINCE 1980, UNDERLING HOW IMPORTANT THE EUROPEAN TOUR AND THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM HAVE BEEN TO STRENGTHENING EUROPEAN GOLF.
THE PLAYERS AND CAPTAINS UNIVERSALLY CLAIM TO BE PROUD TO REPRESENT EUROPE.
WHERE IS THAT PRIDE TONIGHT? WHERE IS THE OUTPOURING OF CRITICISM FOR RUSSIA AND SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE? AND DON'T GIVE ME THAT 'NOT GETTING INVOLVED WITH POLITICS' NONSENSE.
FIRSTLY THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN FIT TO ISSUE A STATEMENT, EITHER ON THEIR WEBSITE OR TO THE MEDIA TO EXPRESS THEIR SORROW AT THE SITUATION AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE. I UNDERSTAND THE TOUR DOES NOT ANY LONGER HAVE EVENTS PLAYED IN THOSE NATIONS, BUT IT WOULD SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE THAT THE TOUR STILL REPRESENTS EUROPE, AND HASN'T QUITE YET BECOME A SOULLESS SOCIAL MEDIA MACHINE SPONSORED BY A MIDDLE-EASTERN COMPANY OWNED BY DICTATORS, OH WAIT.
THEN LET US LOOK AT THE 12 MEN AND CAPTAIN WHO REPRESENTED EUROPE AT LAST SEPTEMBER'S RYDER CUP MATCHES IN WISCONSIN, AND WHAT PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY THEM REGARDING THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE.
RORY MCILROY - NOTHING
SHANE LOWRY - NOTHING
IAN POULTER - NOTHING
LEE WESTWOOD - NOTHING
PADRAIG HARRINGTON - NOTHING
JON RAHM - NOTHING
SERGIO GARCIA - NOTHING
PAUL CASEY - NOTHING
TYRRELL HATTON - NOTHING
TOMMY FLEETWOOD - NOTHING
Bernd Wiesberger - NOTHING
MATT FITZPATRICK - NOTHING
VIKTOR HOVLAND - NOTHING
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ACROSS FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM, 26 FEBRUARY 2022
SO 13 OF EUROPE'S HIGHEST PROFILE GOLFERS, ALL OF WHOM REPRESENTED EUROPE AT LAST YEAR'S RYDER CUP, WEARING THE EUROPEAN FLAG AND COLOURS, STANDING FOR THE EUROPEAN ANTHEM AND NONE OF THEM HAVE SEEN FIT TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE AND CRITICISE THE RUSSIAN INVASION. WAR HAS COME TO OUR CONTINENT AND NONE OF THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM GIVES A S**T.
THE EUROPEAN TOUR NO LONGER REPRESENTS EUROPE AFTER ITS SELLOUT TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM IS DOING AN APPALLING JOB OF REPRESENTING EUROPE. PERHAPS ITS AN ILLUSTRATION OF JUST WHY EUROPE GOT ABSOLUTELY THRASHED AT THE 2021 RYDER CUP, MAYBE EUROPEAN GOLF HAS LOST ITS SOUL AFTER ALL.
RUSSIAN TENNIS STARS DANIIL MEDVEDEV AND ANDREY RUBLEV HAVE OUTSPOKENLY CONDEMNED THE INVASION, AND RUBLEV EVEN WROTE "NO TO WAR" ON THE CAMERA AFTER HIS ATP MATCH EARLIER ON FRIDAY. EUROLEAGUE BASKETBALL GAMES INVOLVING RUSSIAN AND UKRAINIAN CLUBS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED, AND THERE WILL BE MUCH MORE ACTION TO COME ACROSS SPORT, AND EUROVISION HAS ALSO EXPELLED RUSSIA FROM THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST.
BUT THERE IS ONE SPORT WHICH HAS STAYED ALMOST COMPLETELY SILENT, UNACCEPTABLY SO. GOLF WAS BORN IN EUROPE, IN SCOTLAND AND SOME ARGUE, IN THE NETHERLANDS, THE MAJOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS OF EUROPE ARE OVER A CENTURY OLD, AND THE EUROPEAN TOUR UNITED THOSE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS UNDER A CONTINENT-WIDE BANNER IN 1972, 50 YEARS AGO. THEN IN 1979 THE GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND TEAM WAS EXPANDED AND EUROPE HAS BECOME A POWER IN WORLD GOLF SINCE THAT MOMENT, WINNING 11 OF THE LAST 21 RYDER CUP MATCHES AGAINST THE UNITED STATES. EUROPEAN GOLFERS HAVE GONE ON TO WIN THE MASTERS A STUNNING 13 TIMES SINCE 1980, UNDERLING HOW IMPORTANT THE EUROPEAN TOUR AND THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM HAVE BEEN TO STRENGTHENING EUROPEAN GOLF.
THE PLAYERS AND CAPTAINS UNIVERSALLY CLAIM TO BE PROUD TO REPRESENT EUROPE.
WHERE IS THAT PRIDE TONIGHT? WHERE IS THE OUTPOURING OF CRITICISM FOR RUSSIA AND SOLIDARITY WITH UKRAINE? AND DON'T GIVE ME THAT 'NOT GETTING INVOLVED WITH POLITICS' NONSENSE.
FIRSTLY THE EUROPEAN TOUR GROUP HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN FIT TO ISSUE A STATEMENT, EITHER ON THEIR WEBSITE OR TO THE MEDIA TO EXPRESS THEIR SORROW AT THE SITUATION AND SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE. I UNDERSTAND THE TOUR DOES NOT ANY LONGER HAVE EVENTS PLAYED IN THOSE NATIONS, BUT IT WOULD SEND A POWERFUL MESSAGE THAT THE TOUR STILL REPRESENTS EUROPE, AND HASN'T QUITE YET BECOME A SOULLESS SOCIAL MEDIA MACHINE SPONSORED BY A MIDDLE-EASTERN COMPANY OWNED BY DICTATORS, OH WAIT.
THEN LET US LOOK AT THE 12 MEN AND CAPTAIN WHO REPRESENTED EUROPE AT LAST SEPTEMBER'S RYDER CUP MATCHES IN WISCONSIN, AND WHAT PUBLIC COMMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY THEM REGARDING THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE.
RORY MCILROY - NOTHING
SHANE LOWRY - NOTHING
IAN POULTER - NOTHING
LEE WESTWOOD - NOTHING
PADRAIG HARRINGTON - NOTHING
JON RAHM - NOTHING
SERGIO GARCIA - NOTHING
PAUL CASEY - NOTHING
TYRRELL HATTON - NOTHING
TOMMY FLEETWOOD - NOTHING
Bernd Wiesberger - NOTHING
MATT FITZPATRICK - NOTHING
VIKTOR HOVLAND - NOTHING
SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ACROSS FACEBOOK, TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM, 26 FEBRUARY 2022
SO 13 OF EUROPE'S HIGHEST PROFILE GOLFERS, ALL OF WHOM REPRESENTED EUROPE AT LAST YEAR'S RYDER CUP, WEARING THE EUROPEAN FLAG AND COLOURS, STANDING FOR THE EUROPEAN ANTHEM AND NONE OF THEM HAVE SEEN FIT TO EXPRESS SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE AND CRITICISE THE RUSSIAN INVASION. WAR HAS COME TO OUR CONTINENT AND NONE OF THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM GIVES A S**T.
THE EUROPEAN TOUR NO LONGER REPRESENTS EUROPE AFTER ITS SELLOUT TO THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE EUROPEAN RYDER CUP TEAM IS DOING AN APPALLING JOB OF REPRESENTING EUROPE. PERHAPS ITS AN ILLUSTRATION OF JUST WHY EUROPE GOT ABSOLUTELY THRASHED AT THE 2021 RYDER CUP, MAYBE EUROPEAN GOLF HAS LOST ITS SOUL AFTER ALL.
