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What will the Fox say about LIV Golf?

The tour's fourth season will be televised on Fox Sports and the network's various platforms. Will the deal bring LIV legitimacy? Readers of The First Call offer their opinions

Question of the week [January 20-26]: What are your thoughts on LIV Golf's new media rights deal with Fox Sports?

RELATED: The First Call Inbox archive

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I suppose the Fox TV deal legitimizes LIV, more so than The CW Network did, but it's not going to induce me to actually watch it. Well, maybe the first five minutes of the first event, but I'm thinking they will have the leaderboard covering up about half of the screen again, which, along with music in the background, makes it unwatchable.

Mark Koszyk
Prospect Heights, Illinois
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What is LIV Golf ... or who cares?

Peter Therrien
Vancouver, British Columbia
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I love watching golf on TV, but it's not just the stars I want to see hitting golf balls. I enjoy the competition and on the PGA Tour, players have not been paid in advance. Their livelihood depends on the 4-footer they have to make on the 72nd hole. LIV Golf, on the other hand, is merely exhibition play, in my mind, and I couldn't care less if David Puig or Jon Rahm was the winner. Exhibition golf is meh.

Bruce Penton
Medicine Hat, Alberta
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From the perspective of LIV — its organization and supporters — the Fox media deal is huge. To the golfing public here in North America it is significant, but not a gamechanger in my opinion. Bryson DeChambeau legitimately moves the needle as a fan favorite and Brooks Koepka is a world-class player who commands attention. Dustin Johnson and Cam Smith have resumes and good name recognition, but have been out of the spotlight for long enough to be rather insignificant in terms of TV ratings and Q Score. Beyond DeChambeau, LIV brings little to the broadcast table. Let's see what the ratings look like. In all fairness, no professional tour is killing it these days in terms of TV ratings. The public is sick of money talk and the split in men's golf. People are tuning out and LIV will quickly discover this when they review their Fox TV ratings.  

Reid Farrill
Toronto, Ontario
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I know that most readers despise LIV, so I am simply addressing the agreement from a business standpoint. The deal favors Fox as it doesn't have to invest (e.g. minimal production expenses) as much because LIV didn't come to the table with an audience that would insure great ratings. 

In the face of faltering PGA Tour broadcast ratings, this is a fairly low risk roll of the dice for Fox — providing live content and allowing the network to move the broadcasts to smaller platforms should it falter or move it up should it succeed. Ratings will already be at a disadvantage because of the time zone difference, so viewer recording will often be in play here. 

For LIV, it brings them entry into many more households if it can find a way to make the product more appealing. 

This may also inspire the PGA Tour to make changes, such as speeding up play and either fish or cut bait with LIV.  

Steve Moore
Birmingham, Alabama
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Lipstick on a pig. The media need for content creation has no relation to the quality of that content. 

Frank D'Ambrosio 
Roslyn Heights, New York
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If I had access to only one TV channel and it was showing LIV Golf, I'd turn off the TV and listen to my old record collection.

Rick Nowosad
Calgary, Alberta
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As Brandel Chamblee points out: LIV’s deal has no legitimacy as it is another time buy — as well as covering production costs — like The CW Network debacle. Two reasons, no economic viability and Fox would have little influence on the horrendous graphic, sound and undramatic over-the-air presentation. The client has all the power in TV, and the client is the one putting out the bucks.

Joseph Greenberg
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
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I see it as LIV’s last-gasp effort before pulling the pin and calling it quits. It’s not because they can’t afford it. It’s more like time to take one last breath before calling "Uncle." It will save face by saying it was their plan all along. The players will survive. Financially, there’s not one of them that will be booking into the Motel 6 any time soon. 

In fact, if the PGA Tour were smart, and perhaps that’s giving them too much credit, it would open their arms and welcome them back to the fold. It worked for the NHL and the NFL. Perhaps it’s time for the PGA Tour to do the same. 

Paul Vicary
The Villages, Florida
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LIV is still around? I thought their golfers just did YouTube and Instagram videos.

If exhibition golf on resort courses is your thing, I guess this is good news for you. For me? I pass.

Terry Fraser
Huntsville, Alabama 
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I think someone at Fox Sports thinks there is an audience for LIV Golf. Let's face it, the PGA Tour has a major personality problem and the TV ratings show it. Scottie Scheffler is a great golfer, but he hasn't 1% of the personality required to carry golf into the post-Eldrick Woods era. I watch LIV Golf. I find the play-by-play announcer a bit much at times — better still than listening to Dan Hicks drone on at NBC. The music bugs me too. But LIV is wall-to-wall golf shots. NBC and CBS are overproduced to the max. Useless droning or stupid stories when you could be showing the actual play. Perhaps this is my age speaking, but I tune in to golf to watch golf shots. I hope LIV draws some ratings, but I fear all golf consumers out there have been persuaded by Brandel Chamblee and his misplaced politics.  

William A. Galinas
Broomall, Pennsylvania
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I really like this deal. Fox Sports will give these great  players much more exposure. Hopefully, they’ll hire better announcers than those on the hapless Golf Channel, CBS, ESPN  and NBC networks. During the time of LIV Golf's existence, it has produced four the 10 major winners.

Eventually, those sanctimonious executives and players on other tours will realize the folly of their positions and a merger may occur.

Vinny Mooney
Poughkeepsie, New York
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On my cable channel lineup, Fox is one click down on my remote from The CW channel. I cannot get my fingers to direct the remote to select either of these channels when LIV is on. LIV is a poor quality watch compaired to any event on the PGA Tour. Fox can't fix the unwatchable, messy model that LIV has branded.  

Everybody complains about the elite players not playing in the same events. The quality of PGA Tour golf has not diminished in my opinion. These young kids coming out to take the spots that the LIV guys left are amazing and fun to watch.  Not to mention that some of them would have replaced some of the LIV guys anyway. PGA Tour quality has not been degraded. 

I wish the PGA Tour would let LIV go their way. They have plenty of talent and have taken steps to keep their talent pool up. If LIV cherry picks a few players, there is plenty more talent to fill the ranks. If Tom McKibbin want to play at LIV, good on him, shut up and let him go.

In the end, the PGA Tour offers the best entertainment experience by far. If you dont want to watch the PGA Tour play, you can get replays of General Hospital any time — or you can watch LIV on Fox.

Rick Garrison
Ports Saint Lucie, Florida
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IS THIS THE GOLDEN ERA?
Jon Rahm might feel its the golden age of golf — and he should. He has more gold than Fort Knox. For us mortals, LIV Golf isn t interesting, and the PGA and other tours are losing fans.  Those of us who actually have to ask what the ever-increasing rates are when we call for a tee time, the opinions of these millionaires mean next to nothing.  

Larry Ashe
Chicago, Illinois
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I’ve been a golf professional since 1973 and the game has blessed me with too many incredible  events to list — let alone the number of famous people along the way I have been able to meet and play with.

I’ve always been proud of my chosen profession.  That said, LIV monies are offered by the same people that financed September 11. Period. How can any American want to be a part of that endeavor? I understand it’s all about the money, but the players that went over the first two years were set for life beforehand.

Shame on them and Fox Sports for being so disrespectful. Greed is an ugly thing.

Lee Danielian
Port St Lucie, Florida
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The First Call invites reader comment. Write to editor Stuart Hall at shall@buffalogroupe.com. Your name and city of residence is necessary to be considered for publication. If your comment is selected for publication, The First Call will contact you to verify the authenticity of the email and confirm your identity. We will not publish your email address. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and brevity.

Front: LIV Golf signage during the practice round before the start of LIV Golf Hong Kong at the Hong Kong Golf Club March 6, 2024.
Photo: Matthew Harris | LIV Golf


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