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sports Friday 4 February 2022
Report: Mickelson accuses PGA Tour of 'obnoxious greed'

KING ABDULLAH ECONOM- However, that arrange-
IC CITY, Saudi Arabia (AP) ment has long been stan-
— Phil Mickelson claims the dard for unofficial events
"obnoxious greed" of the on television such as the
PGA Tour and its owner- old Skins Game or the Mon-
ship of media rights is why day night matches involv-
players are tempted by ing Woods from 20 years
the prospects of rival tours, ago.
such as one backed by Mickelson also mentioned
Saudi Arabia's sovereign to Golf Digest that some-
wealth fund, Golf Digest re- one wanted to use a sev-
ported. en-second clip from a shot
Mickelson, Bryson DeCham- he hit out of the pine straw
beau and Dustin Johnson to the 13th green at the
are among 20 PGA Tour 2010 Masters. He said the
members who are playing charge was $30,000 per
in the Saudi International second every time the clip
this week for exorbitant ap- was aired for a total cost
pearance money. of $3.5 million. Augusta Na-
The tournament is now part tional, not the PGA Tour,
of the Asian Tour, which re- owns those media rights.
ceived a $300 million influx Norman this week an-
from Greg Norman's new nounced two of the pro-
LIV Golf Investments, which Phil Mickelson hits his tee shot on the fifth hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the first posed 10 new events on
is funded primarily by Saudi round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament, Wednesday Jan. 26, 2022, in San Diego. the Asian Tour in Thailand
Arabia's Public Investment Associated Press and England, the latter
Fund. held a week before the U.S.
Mickelson, a 45-time winner $40 million Player Impact $20 billion in digital assets "And it is the tour's obnox- Open. He has not talked
on the PGA Tour, and De- Program (which he says he they control. Or give up ac- ious greed that has really specifically about a super
Chambeau have been the won last year) and increas- cess to the $50-plus million opened the door for op- league, nor has he an-
two most prominent play- es in prize money and Fe- they make every year on portunities elsewhere." nounced any players who
ers linked to talk of a "su- dEx Cup bonus money. their own media channel." Mickelson was irritated in are willing to join.
per league." Players such He later told Golf Digest the He did not say where he 2018 when he staged a The Daily Mail, without cit-
as Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, players not owning their came up with the $20 bil- winner-take-all exhibition ing sources or terms, re-
Brooks Koepka and Jor- media rights is what both- lion figure. match with Tiger Woods in ported DeChambeau was
dan Spieth have said they ers him. The PGA Tour declined Las Vegas. That was the first offered $135 million to join
would not be interested. "If the tour wanted to end comment. The tour, like of five matches, and Mick- such a league.
In a news conference be- any threat, they could just other major sports orga- elson said he has had to "I'm not sure how this is go-
fore the tournament, Mick- hand back the media rights nizations, relies on media pay $1 million to the tour for ing to play out," said Mick-
elson said the competition to the players," Mickelson rights as a major source of each one. elson, the reigning PGA
was giving players lever- told Digest. "But they would revenue. "For my own media rights," champion who turns 52 in
age, and that the threat rather throw $25 million "The media rights are but Mickelson said. "That type June. "My ultimate loyalty
of a rival league had led here and $40 million there a small fraction of every- of greed is, to me, beyond is to the game of golf and
the PGA Tour to create a than give back the roughly thing else," Mickelson said. obnoxious." what it has given me.q

EEOC wants to join women's team players in equal pay appeal

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Women's team play- claim," the EEOC said.
U.S. Equal Employment Op- ers sued the federation The USSF says it has of-
portunity Commission has in March 2019 under the fered identical deals to the
asked for permission to par- Equal Pay Act, claiming unions for the women and
ticipate in the appeal by they had not been paid the men, but the unions are
American women soccer equitably under their col- not obligated under fed-
players trying to reinstate lective bargaining agree- eral law to negotiate similar
their pay claim against the ment compared to what terms.
U.S. Soccer Federation. the men's team received "U.S. Soccer remains com-
The EEOC asked the 9th U.S. under its agreement. mitted to equal pay for our
Circuit Court of Appeals on U.S. District Judge R. Gary senior national team play-
Thursday to be allowed to Klausner granted a summa- ers and ensuring that they
address the court during ry judgment to the federa- remain among the high-
oral arguments scheduled tion on the pay claim, and est paid in the world," the
for March 7 in Pasadena, the sides settled the portion USSF said in a statement.
California. of the suit alleging discrimi- "We believe the 9th Circuit
The EEOC said the play- natory working conditions. will affirm the district court's United States' Alex Morgan jumps over Netherlands' goalkeeper
Sari van Veenendaal as she attempts to score during a women's
ers' lawyers had agreed to "This case raises the im- decision to dismiss the pay quarterfinal soccer match at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Friday,
cede four minutes of their portant question of how discrimination claims." July 30, 2021, in Yokohama, Japan.
20-minute time allotment to analyze the rate of pay Players welcomed the gov- Associated Press
before the three-judge under the EPA when there ernment intervention.
panel. The USSF said it did are multiple forms of salary, "The EEOC," spokeswoman tal clear that USSF –- led by inated against the players
not oppose the use of the as well as the proper analy- Molly Levinson said in a Carlos Cordeiro and Cindy and wants to tell the court
players' time. sis of a discriminatory pay statement, "thinks it is crys- Parlow Cone — has discrim- about it."q