On June 6, Saudi Arabia bought the game of golf. That’s an exaggeration: rest assured, American country clubs are still run by a cabal of Madras-clad local oligarchs, but only a little. Technically, the new Saudi-backed LIV Golf announced it was merging with the Professional Golfers Association, ending a bitter dispute that had divided the game for more than a year. In reality, it was more of an acquisition than a merger. While the main points of the new entity are subject to change, two things are clear: it will be financed with more than a billion dollars through the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the fund’s governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan, will act as its chairman. The PGA board was kept in the dark: Saudi Arabia took over a full professional game.
The fact that Saudi Arabia’s arid climate is rarely well suited for golf (its July peaks usually hover around 110) only underscores that this is rarely really a sporting story. The kingdom’s takeover of professional golf is part of a broader strategy to maintain geopolitical economic relevance in a world that is moving away from fossil fuels, while also polishing its global image. This is a sports wash on a scale never seen before, a gigantic effort to expand and protect Saudi global power.
The spending craze isn’t limited to golf. In recent months, the Saudis have increased their investment in Formula 1 racing, boxing and cycling. The PIF is also expected to conclude a multi-year agreement with the Association of Tennis Professionals to bring the state-of-the-art sports finals to Jeddah. And following the 2022 World Cup (hosted through former rival Qatar), the Saudis have lured stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kanté to their Saudi Pro League with mind-boggling salaries. : Ronaldo would earn more than $200 million according to the season; Kanté, injured, earns only a part of that amount.
It’s not just sport. ” Saudi Arabia invests huge sums of cash in 14 or 15 other sectors,” adding “alternative energy sources, tourism infrastructure, even in its film industry,” said Simon Chadwick, professor of sports and geopolitical economics at Skema Business. School in Paris. ” Basically for me, it’s about safety. “This assurance, according to Chadwick, has two details. First, the country’s huge youth population — 70% of Saudis are under 35 — and concerns about devout radicalism, but, in Chadwick’s words, the “biggest concern” is “another Arab Spring. “The detail of the moment is economical. Lately, Saudi Arabia relies heavily on oil, and “the long-term security of this economy is weak, especially in a world that is retreating against fossil fuel production. Essentially, Saudi Arabia has 20 years to diversify its economy: creating one more secure and resilient post-oil and fuel economy, as well as protecting the country’s royal family.
Of course, enhancing the country’s reputation for oppression wouldn’t hurt either. Saudi killers, on the orders of their crown prince, dissident Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018. The army oversaw a devastating year-long operation. blockade of Yemen that resulted in mass starvation and death. Within the kingdom, homosexuality is punished, women’s rights are still severely restricted, and executions are frequent. Shopping in sports is a rebranding effort. It also aims to attract skeptics and tourists to a country that has established a post-oil identity: that of a destination vacation spot, a sumptuous Las Vegas-by-the-Gulf.
These measures also underscore the general sense of impunity with which the Saudis have operated for decades. Buying golf is perhaps best understood as a game of strength: it shows that the Saudi government can murder an American resident and then, in just a few years, buy an American sport. And it has also driven a wedge between the PGA and the U. S. government. The U. S. government, which has raised antitrust and human rights considerations about the Saudi partnership. (The Justice Department is now investigating the PGA’s ambitious and brazen plan for its tax-exempt prestige following its acquisition in Saudi Arabia; the merger may be blocked on antitrust grounds. )They recovered from the pandemic, making them increasingly dependent on the kingdom’s currencies. Saudi teams will most likely play in the UEFA Champions League in the short or long term and the country will host the European Cup and World Cup final. Even reviving the much-maligned Super League is not out of the question.
It’s going to replace global sport. It will replace global culture. But Saudi Arabia doesn’t care. It is a consultation of strength and money, and nothing else.
Alex Shephard is a member of The New Republic.