In the rough, out of bounds – why money in the bank can’t buy back your reputation
The lure of Arab oil dollars was enough to convince golf star Phil Mickelson to promote a rebel golf tour – until he saw how much damage it was doing to his reputation, writes Michael Blucher
Is it just me, or are there other heads spinning in giddy delight, monitoring the murky manoeuvrings and politicking of this proposed rebel golf tour?
Talk about a crystal clear window into the human psyche. In the last few weeks, we’ve see the lot – the honourable right through to unconscionable, though what we put in which bucket could depend on the lens we’re looking through.
What may be construed as single-mindedness in the eyes of one, could just as easily be seen as selfishness in the eyes of another. Similarly, ambition and greed might be confused, so too bold and naive. At some level we find what we go looking for.
What we do know, if you want to erode trust , just throw self interest into the equation. It’ll win more often than Black Caviar, and just as convincingly.
In the past few days, the prospects of the said rebel world tour, underpinned by $2.8 billion of oil-rich Saudi play money, have plummeted from quite possible to “embarrassingly improbable”.
The diminishing prospects are at least in some part due to the fall from grace of Phil Mickelson, a prime PGA tour protagonist.
Mickelson this week was cornered into apologising, after conceding he’d referred to the backers of the break-away tour as “scary mother-f*ckers” from a country with an appalling human rights record. But their money, he confided, was what was needed to drive much needed change within the game’s all powerful governing body.
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Wow. With advocates like that….
In any bold challenge to the status quo, there are inevitably going to be winners and losers, and friendships nuked. Think World Series Cricket, think Super League. Those who back the right horse are likely to be seen as beyond reproach, the vanquished, not so much.
Their motives, even at times their moral fibre, get thrust under the microscope. Questions are asked, flaws, perceived or otherwise, are exposed, and past mistakes revisited. Don’t you remember back in 2014, he did this…
Which brings us back to Mickelson.
As evidenced by the haste with which long time (bluechip) sponsor KPMG has moved to distance itself from the charismatic golfing superstar, the damage he’s done to his personal brand remains unquestioned.
The more interesting discussion point – is the damage irreparable? At the age of 51, his best golf well and truly behind him, how does he now reposition himself in the hearts and minds of the sporting public?
Will he ever return to being the loveable, cavalier thumbs-up guy, or is Brand Mickelson sullied forever?
Only time will tell.
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Professional sport the world over is full of stunning self immolation stories – athletes blowing themselves (and their marketability) to smithereens, through acts of stupidity, infidelity, dishonesty and greed, sometimes a combination of all four.
Perhaps the most obvious example is Phil’s mate Tiger. For years, we thought the Big Cat was perfect, but then we learned he not only had nine lives, he had nine lovers. He was an alley cat. But that was a decade ago. Now, all has been forgiven.
Tiger has re-established trust and credibility, to the point where Brand Woods is stronger than ever, the presence of a cute, club-twirling Tiger cub further enhancing his appeal.
But do we always forgive and forget? Lance Armstrong – where does he sit in our consciousness today? Would we pay to hear him speak, or bother to cross the road to grab a selfie?
Other more local, but equally cataclysmic self implosions – Wayne Carey, the AFL superstar who in 2002 shamelessly slept with the wife of a North Melbourne teammate. How is The King tracking? Signing up for reality TV and talking about the incident openly (and remorsefully) on national television – is that helping or hindering?
David Warner and Steve Smith, of “Sandpaper Gate” infamy – how long will they remain in public purgatory? Or perhaps they’ve already been released? After all, there’s nothing quite like runs on the board, to get you runs on the board.
Smith’s successor, Tim Paine – he’s still hiding away in Cricket’s Cave of Shame on account of a sexting scandal dating back to 2017. Yes, 2017. Are we ever going to let him off the hook? How exactly does he recover, and rebuild, now that he’s no longer performing on the national stage?
Consistent demonstration of bonafides has been one of the driving forces behind the resurrection of Wallaby James O’Connor – playing good Rugby, and without the slightest hint of being a dick. He’s an excellent redemption story.
Rabbitoh great and one time NRL poster boy, Sam Burgess – it would seem he still has some brand rebuilding tp do, on account of his very public marriage breakdown and accompanying transgressions. The good news for Sam, the Rugby League crowd are very forgiving – very few amid those ranks pretend to be perfect. Look at Jonathan Thurston – he built one of the game’s strongest brands from the foundations of burning rubble.
Yes, redemption and resurrection make for an interesting study.
What time we do know is that there are different times for different crimes, with cheating digging the deepest hole. Even gender bias comes into play. Men and women forgive and forget quite differently – what incenses one, can be just as easily be dismissed by the other.
One thing for sure, Phil Mickelson has a lengthy road to recovery.
Just like his golf however, he’s been known to escape the inescapable. It’ll be fun to watch how be goes about it.
That’s one Brand Mickelson attribute that’s never been in question.
