LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger reignites not-so-clean debate over sportswashing

By EDDIE PELLS
AP National Writer

The PGA Tour’s merger with rival LIV Golf has reignited a debate over sportswashing and drawn critics ranging from current professional golfers to the families of Sept. 11 victims. Sportswashing has been going on for decades in the Olympics and other sports across the globe. The sportswashing angle with LIV Golf gained steam last year when its first big-name signing, Phil Mickelson, was quoted as calling the Saudis “scary (expletives)” as he discussed what the CIA concluded was the Saudi-backed killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Family members of Sept. 11 victims who blame Saudi Arabia for the 2001 terror attacks have also been vocal critics of Mickelson and others who have accepted multiple millions from LIV Golf.