Some of Golf’s best athletes participate in the recently initiated LIV golf tournament. Speculations suggest that it is a replacement for the noteworthy PGA tour. Former Professional Basketball athlete Charles Barkley, also an avid golf enthusiast, gave his opinions on the tournament in an interview with Clay Travis.
The LIV Golf tournaments have the highest prize pools in golf history; each regular-season event’s total purse is $25 million. The pro-am fixture of the tournament featured celebrities the likes of Charles Barkley, Caitlyn Jenner, and Donald Trump. Further, the controversy around the Golf circuit stems from its funding background. The tournament’s expansion from 2023 is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabian Wealth Fund.
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The controversy-filled tournament has drawn the attention of American 9/11 protesters. A group of protesters with the tag ‘9/11 Justice’ called out the actions for the atrocities of 9/11 and the alleged Saudi Arabian connections. According to the New York Times, the criticism is about taking money from Saudi Arabia, which reportedly has very poor human rights records and policies. Furthermore, The Times reported that the group has urged golf fans to boycott LIV Golf.?
Charles Barkley spoke about the ‘Blood Money’ connotation of the tour. Furthermore, his opinion was relatively straightforward, and he sympathized with those that were victims of past atrocities. He talked about the criticism the tour was getting and understood the root of the controversy. Barkley talked about the use of the term ‘sports washing’ and his fury over the selective outrage.
Charles Barkley gives his honest opinion on the LIV controversy
Barkley played several seasons in the NBA for teams like the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. After his retirement, he has taken to Golf and played with players like Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry. Furthermore, he gave his honest opinion on the controversy to Clay Travis.
Barkley said, “Some of this LIV stuff has really p**sed me off, to be honest with you, because people are saying words like ‘sports washing’ and ‘blood money.”
Charles Barkley has ended discussions with LIV Golf, per @nypost.
He will return to 'Inside the NBA' on TNT.
"I’m staying with Turner for the rest of my TV career." pic.twitter.com/isKyyPMHHR
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) July 29, 2022
Charles Barkley recently turned down an offer to work for the LIV tour and has vowed to stick with the ‘Inside the NBA’ crew.
Barkley clarifies his issue with the LIV debate.
According to Barkley, He understands that the ‘9/11 Justice’ group has a legitimate reason because it’s something that’s personal to them. Furthermore, what he cannot wrap his head around is why protesters don’t care about what’s happening in the United States.
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"How much money does it take to turn your back on your country? … We 9/11 families would trade any amount of money in the world just to see our loved ones again."
— 9/11 Justice's Juliet Scoso calls out American golfers and Donald Trump for supporting the Saudi-backed LIV tour pic.twitter.com/sAfAnxdj7p
— The Recount (@therecount) July 29, 2022
Barkley said, “All of a sudden, I was worried about what’s happening in Saudi Arabia, and I said that’s when I said I don’t like selective outrage.“
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A number of golf players like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Sergio Garc?a are a part of the LIV tournament. Only time will reveal the fate of the tournament amid the ongoing protests and the general outrage.