Mike Tyson has named his all-time favourite fighter, a man he always found to be more relatable than Muhammad Ali.
While being in awe of Ali’s greatness, Tyson knew he could never successfully replicate the elegance of his style.
So, instead, the Brooklyn-born puncher focused on cultivating his own unique approach, designed to utilise his raw power, brute strength and explosiveness.
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With no shortage of help from legendary trainer Cus D’Amato, ‘Iron’ Mike managed to achieve this style and, in turn, became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
His second-round stoppage of Trevor Berbick in 1986 was then followed by a series of equally ruthless WBC title defences, only for his reign to end via a shock defeat to James ‘Buster’ Douglas in 1990.
Yet still, Tyson will always be remembered as one of the sport’s most formidable champions, along with his favourite fighter Roberto Duran.
Duran then went on to encounter Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, contending with a significant size disadvantage against each of his fellow Four Kings.
In that sense, it is perhaps no wonder that Tyson – a relatively small heavyweight – named the Panamanian as his favourite fighter at an event covered by ESNEWS.
“Roberto Duran. The reason why is because he comes from filth – like I did. I wasn’t handsome like [Muhammad] Ali; I was from the gutter.
“So I wanted to be like [Duran], because he represented me.”
It is therefore not only Duran’s height and reach disadvantages, but also his deprived background, that resonated with a young Tyson.
Late NBA commissioner David Stern called it a “blessing.” When Stern took over the NBA in 1984, the league was in hard times, fighting to gain a foothold on national television and trying to stabilize itself. While it was Stern’s ambition and innovative business sense that were credited with propelling the NBA into its global future, that would not have been possible without two key figures: Bird and Magic. What Stern understood was that, to capture attention and demand eyeballs, star power — and rivalries more specifically — sells.
In Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Stern had two stars: one a stoic trash-talker and the other a charismatic competitor. That the two had already locked horns in college was a bonus. Stern directed the NBA’s marketing arm to lean into the individual rivalry, to promote games as Bird and the Celtics or Magic’s Lakers instead of, simply, Lakers vs. Celtics. That decision and the subsequent arrival of Michael Jordan took the NBA from a down-on-its-luck, tape-delay league to the superpower it is today. Twenty years after a rivalry transformed the NBA, professional golf found its own transformation courtesy of Tiger Woods. Woods’ transcendent talent was enough to reshape the conversation around pro golf itself, but adding Phil Mickelson, a diametric rival, helped usher in a whole new audience to the PGA Tour as fans flocked to see if Woods, the robotic killer, could make history and whether the risky and charismatic Mickelson could be a proper foil to greatness.
All that leads us to the LPGA and this year’s U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera Country Club. When Nelly Korda curled in a three-foot putt to win the biggest title in women’s golf and capture her second consecutive major, the LPGA set off on a “scrappy plan” to promote the game’s biggest star. As the LPGA hunts for its breakthrough moment, like the WNBA and women’s soccer have procured in recent years, the first step was to have a gravitational star whose talent, feats and personality demand attention. Korda’s blistering start to the season, coming on the heels of a winless 2025, was a gift that new LPGA commissioner Craig Kessler could have only envisioned in his dreams when he took the job last summer. Eight months into the gig, he had it. That was Step 1.
But if you looked closer at Korda’s victory at Riviera, if you peeled back the layers, you could see a bigger dream in the background.
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That weekend, Charley Hull put together a blistering 36-hole run of “F— it!” golf and pushed Korda as the World No. 1 eyed a dream accomplishment. In the end, Hull came up one shot shy of a playoff, settling for her fifth career major runner-up.
“It’s just frustrating. Another second place. I think that’s five second-place finishes I’ve had in majors now,” Hull said that evening in Los Angeles, her charismatic personality shining through even in defeat. “It’s pretty annoying, but I played really well the last day. Obviously missed a couple putts on the back nine, but it was quite windy, and I hit the ball fantastic, so fair play to Nelly Korda for back-to-back wins.
“I just love playing in the majors. Like I pretty much only get up for the majors. It’s really weird I just love playing in majors. Like if it’s a normal week-to-week I struggle sometimes getting the motivation. But when it comes to major weeks, I just love it. Like if I just even just make the cut, like at the weekend I can make a massive charge. But, no, I loved it out there.”
There’s no doubt the LPGA loved it as well. The league is full of young, exciting talent with dynamic personalities, but there’s no question that the top two names on the marquee are Korda and Hull. The conversation at each major starts with them. It was not an accident that when Kessler talked about creating global stars back at the CME in November, he specifically mentioned Korda and Hull and how what they both do on and off the course fits the LPGA’s vision.
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A legitimate rivalry between polar-opposite stars is a priceless commodity in sports. It’s something organic that can’t be manufactured or bought, only amplified by proper marketing and willing participants. In Korda, the LPGA has a dominant force who picks golf courses apart with a textbook swing and stoic demeanor. In Hull, they have a free-wheeling, gas-pedal-down star with a flashy personality. In the two we have oil and water.
A Nelly-Charley rivalry would theoretically be a priceless gift for the LPGA. The 2024 Solheim Cup, where Hull dominated Korda in singles but the U.S. won, gave us a glimpse of what that might look like. But we aren’t there yet. There’s another step.
“I don’t really see it as a rivalry at the minute, because, no offense, Nelly has got many majors, and I’ve got none,” Hull said on Tuesday ahead of the AIG Women’s Open. “I’ve got five second places. So let me get my major in first, and then that’s something we can think about in the future. But listen, what Nelly is doing for the game of golf is unbelievable and so good to watch … But I just want to get over the line and win my first major. Five second-place finishes in majors kind of hurt.”
Korda is as aware as anyone that Hull’s major moment could come soon, as long as you keep knocking; eventually the door swings open.
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“It’s about putting yourself in that position,” Korda said of Hull’s near misses. “You can’t control what others are doing, but she’s doing something right to always be there and be relevant, to be in the hunt. It’s kind of like Sam Burns. He’s been in the hunt a lot during major championships; hasn’t got it done. Eventually he will. You can’t get discouraged; it has to be encouraging.”
Much like when Tiger raced out to an eight-majors-to-zero lead on Mickelson, there is no suspense currently in this hopeful narrative. Rivalries need an ebb and flow to exist and grow. You can try and cast it into existence, but if one’s always a hammer and one’s forever a nail, it will fail to take root.
This week’s Women’s Open at Royal Lytham and St. Anne’s is an opportunity for the LPGA’s dream vision to begin to crystallize. Last year, at Royal Portcawl, Hull, as she did at Riviera, went on a weekend tear to zoom up the leaderboard and get on the doorstep of her maiden major title. In the end, she came up short, and Miyu Yamashita took home the title. Reminders of that close call are everywhere this week for Hull, only adding to her major motivation.
“I remember looking at the faces [of past champions] walking in on the first day from last year and stuff, I was like, oh, I wish that was me,” Hull said.
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Hull can erase that bad taste with four good days of proper links golf at Lytham. Korda, who has cooled off since her blistering start to the season, will also be looking to punctuate her year with a third major and a ticket to the LPGA Hall of Fame. It’s easy to conjure up the LPGA’s dream scenario in your head: a Sunday duel between the game’s two biggest figures on a demanding links test — one that gives the LPGA a narrative that can launch it higher into the type of bold future Kessler has been preaching.
The LPGA’s own “blessing” is sitting on the horizon just out of clear view. It might be approaching, but something has to happen before the bigger picture can become reality.
“While you divide, we unite,” Gianni Infantino wrote on social media on Monday, in a long missive aimed at his detractors. By Tuesday, he had united the football world — albeit in opposition to his latest scheme.
Chief among FIFA’s proposed investors is the investment vehicle, Thrive Eternal, headed by Joshua Kushner — younger brother of Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump‘s son-in-law.
Why is FIFA’s new World Cup plan controversial?
Other than the potential conflict of interest connection to Trump, with whom Infantino has grown close, there are significant concerns about transparency, corruption and whether FIFA has the remit to make such a move unilaterally.
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“The World Cup is one of the few truly global sporting events, and that comes with a responsibility beyond maximizing revenue,” Bret Myers, a professor of sports business practices at Villanova University in Pennsylvania, USA, told DW.
The US connection is important, with the model echoing the way that many US sports operate. Formula 1 too went through a similar process when it was bought by Liberty Media in 2017. Greg Maffei, a former Liberty CEO, has been a “key commercial adviser” to FIFA on the FFE plan.
“North American sports have long operated within a more commercial framework, where private ownership, franchise valuations, and investor involvement are widely accepted,” Myers added.
“Football, particularly in Europe, has a much stronger tradition of clubs and competitions being viewed as cultural institutions rather than purely commercial assets.”
USA striker Folarin Balogun’s red-card ban during the World Cup was suspended after Infantino got a call from Trump Image: Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire/IMAGO
More fundamentally, the concern is that this is the first step towards the World Cup, football’s biggest prize, becoming privately owned.
“A minority investment is very different from relinquishing control,” Myers said. However, it does represent a significant shift in how the World Cup is financed and managed commercially.”
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World football’s global governors are a nonprofit organization but sit on cash reserves of an estimated $8 billion (€7.02 billion) after a World Cup that saw ticket prices skyrocket.
Given FIFA’s remit lies in developing football, rather than purely profiting from it, there is a sense that this is a move designed to shore up Infantino’s power and, perhaps, encroach on the turf of the continental football federations he failed to include in the planning.
How do Infantino and FIFA aim to sell the plan?
FIFA has promised to invest profits back into the game, mostly by offering all 211 member associations a flat fee of $20 million in 2027, rising to $24 million by 2035. Associations must decide whether to accept those payments by September 19 or risk them being reduced or retracted.
“The president controls this huge pot of money and uses it to reward those that are loyal to him, that support him, and punish those that are not supportive of him,” Miguel Maduro a former chairman of FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee, told DW.
“FIFA could do lots of good things with money. But there is no system of checks and balances and accountability to make us sure that the money is actually going to be well spent by all national football associations. Everything that that’s happened in the past makes me suspicious of how this money will end up being spent.”
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What has the reaction been from the footballing world?
Almost universally negative. National federations, world leaders and fan groups have all come out against the idea, with federations particularly peeved about the lack of consultation.
But perhaps the most surprising reaction came from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), who released a statement confirming it was “not consulted on the proposal and is disappointed” by the way in which it was released. Asia and Africa, are where Infantino’s main power base lies, as together they have 101 of the 211 national associations — with each getting a vote on the president.
The close friendship between Infantino and Trump has raised alarm bells for someImage: Kai Pfaffenbach/REUTERS
Similar misgivings were expressed by a number of powerful national football associations, including Germany’s DFB.
“A line is being crossed here. There is a strong consensus among the member associations on this matter, as evidenced by several conversations I have had in recent days with Aleksander Ceferin [president of Europe’s football governors UEFA] and other colleagues,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, a DFB vice president.
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“If European football stands united in opposing these plans, it carries significant weight.”
Who might oppose FIFA’s World Cup plans?
UEFA seems in the best position to lead any revolt and has hit out at the plans, saying football is “not FIFA’s to sell.” It was a strongly worded statement of the type UEFA has released several times in recent months as its battle with FIFA plays out in public. Reports suggest UEFA will meet as soon as Wednesday to discuss their options.
Maduro backs UEFA’s stance but said he’d like the current climate to serve as an opportunity for broader reform.
“I don’t think UEFA has the same severity of problems that we find in FIFA, but I do think it also suffers from serious governance problems and that they need to be addressed,” he said.
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“Simply getting rid of Mr. Infantino but leaving the entire structure and model of governance of sports will be removing a couple of bad apples but leaving the tree that produced them in place.”
Aleksander Ceferin’s UEFA has been a strong critic of FIFA in recent yearsImage: Mike Egerton/PA/picture alliance
How could this change football?
That the AFC and the CONCACAF (which governs North, Central America and Caribbean football) have criticized the way the latest plans were released, may have strengthened UEFA’s hand in any thoughts of breakaway or boycott.
It may also lead to the continental federations uniting to find someone to oppose Infantino in next year’s presidential election or in threats of boycotting next year’s Women’s World Cup.
But Maduro thinks such talk is often designed to appease the public before intentions are quietly shelved.
“What we’ve seen so far for the most part is that these statements, where they distance themselves from these kinds of initiatives of FIFA, are made under the pressure of public opinions. But then they actually never follow through.”
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Maduro went on to say that UEFA’s increasingly strident opposition to FIFA is, at least in part, a reaction to an increased threat to its own highly lucrative Champions League. Should the proposed changes go through, Maduro expects World Cups to be more frequent and a further expansion of FIFA’s recently expanded Club World Cup.
“They will want to transform that into the big international football competition of clubs instead of the Champions League. That’s what they will try to do because it will be in their commercial interest,” he said.
Kate O’Connor rewrote the history books but is keen to add another chapter to another storied summer before next month is out.
The absence of two-time world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson from the Commonwealth Games heptathlon made O’Connor the one to beat, a new feeling for the Northern Irish athlete.
Her silver medal at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo underlined her potential, but there’s winning on paper and winning in practice.
She’s the first Northern Ireland team member to win gold here, the first track and field athlete to top the podium in 40 years and the first woman to do so since Dame Mary Peters in 1974.
And while the emotion of her first major senior championship title came in a blur, there won’t be long to reset her focus before the European Championships in Birmingham in just 13 days.
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Kate O’Connor won gold for Northern Ireland at the Commonwealth Games (Getty)
A rested Johnson-Thompson, who prioritised that event over Glasgow, awaits, along with Swiss star Annik Kälin and others in a stacked field. Triple Olympic and European champion Nafissatou Thiam is not competing as she continues a cautious comeback from injury.
O’Connor’s winning score of 6,569 points at Scotstoun was well short of Kälin’s world-leading 6,819, but the 25-year-old didn’t just have to battle the new pressures of expectation here – she also had to contend with the elements. At times it didn’t just rain; it was biblical.
“I came here wanting to score somewhere in the 6,700s, or even higher, because I felt I was in that kind of shape,” she said.
“My coaches reminded me that championships aren’t about big scores – they’re about competing. You have to deal with whatever conditions you’re given, and with the rain and cold I think I produced a very good score. Hopefully at the Europeans in Birmingham it’ll be warmer and I’ll have another chance to chase that bigger total.
“I’m not worried about the turnaround before Birmingham. I’ll just treat these last few days as really good training.
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“It’s not a difficult journey home and my body feels good. I feel healthy and I don’t think I emptied the tank out there, so I’m looking forward to what’s next.
“Being one of the favourites was a completely new experience for me. Last year I learned what it was like to carry the expectation of being in medal contention, but this was the first time I’d gone into a championships as someone people expected to win gold. That brings a different kind of pressure.”
O’Connor finished eighth in 2018 and claimed silver behind Johnson-Thompson four years later in Birmingham.
But it was only last year that her life changed: pentathlon silver and bronze at the World and European Indoor Championships, gold at the World University Games and that famous silver in Tokyo.
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Records and personal bests were rewritten and then rewritten again, with her Irish national record of 6,714 points meaning she ended the season ranked second in the world.
After admitting her frustration with her opening day, she recorded a solid leap of 1.82m in the high jump, a season’s best 52.85m in the javelin and won the concluding 800m at a canter. Her winning margin over England’s silver medallist Jade O’Dowda was a huge 291 points.
“As an athlete you’re always looking ahead to the next competition, so you don’t always stop to appreciate what you’ve achieved,” she added. “Hearing those things makes you realise just how special it is.”
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Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs warms up before a game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 4, 2025.(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
“This will kind of continue. It’ll come as it comes. I think that’s the best way to say it. This is both sides working through something, and we’ll take it as it comes, but that’s where it is.”
Gibbs did report to camp and is not listed on the Lions’ Physically Unable to Perform or Non-Football Injury list, suggesting he is holding out for a new contract.
The Lions selected Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft and electrified the team’s offense immediately, and quickly emerged as an integral part of the offense. In his rookie year, he ran for 945 yards and 10 touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 316 yards and one touchdown in 15 games.
Dallas Cowboys cornerback Reddy Steward (27) tackles Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) during the first half at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Dec. 4, 2025.(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Gibbs took his game to another level in 2024, rushing for 1,412 yards and 16 touchdowns while catching 52 passes for 517 yards and four touchdowns.
Last season was the first time Gibbs started every single game, and was up to the task. In 17 games, he ran for 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns while catching 77 passes for 616 yards and five touchdowns.
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (0) celebrates his touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with teammate guard Tate Ratledge (69) during the second half of an NFL football game, Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, in Detroit.(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
He has made the Pro Bowl in all three seasons of his career.
Atlanta Falcons star running back Bijan Robinson was also missing from the team’s first day of training camp. His absence is contract-related, according to The Athletic’s report.
Remo Stars have announced the appointment of Olumide Ajibolade as the club’s new Head Coach, SportsRation reports.
Ajibolade takes over after several years of success within the Remo Stars Sports Club structure, where he built a strong reputation in youth development and team management.
He joined the Remo Stars Academy in 2019 as the U-17 Head Coach. Following the launch of Beyond Limits Football Academy in 2021, he was appointed head coach and guided the team to sustained success.
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During his time at Beyond Limits, Ajibolade led the club to five TCC League titles in six seasons (2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2025/26). He also won back-to-back TCC Cup titles in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons, the TCC Super Cup in 2025, and the Ogun State FA Cup in 2024 and 2026.
He also achieved back-to-back promotions with the club, leading Beyond Limits from the Nationwide League One (NLO) to the Nigeria National League (NNL) in the 2022/23 season before securing promotion to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) in 2023/24. The team capped that campaign by winning the Nigeria National League title in Enugu.
On the international stage, Ajibolade guided Beyond Limits to victory at the Viareggio Cup in Italy in 2024 and followed it up with consecutive Gothia Cup triumphs in Sweden in 2025 and 2026.
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Widely recognised for his focus on player development, he has helped nurture several young footballers who have gone on to play professionally in Europe and other parts of the world.
His appointment marks a new chapter for Remo Stars as the club prepares for the upcoming season under his leadership. His immediate focus will be on taking Remo Stars back to the NPFL.
Oscar De La Hoya claims to have unearthed boxing’s next Mexican-American superstar, who he believes has one key advantage over Ryan Garcia.
During his own fighting career, De La Hoya was undoubtedly the most popular boxer of Hispanic descent, consistently generating monstrous pay-per-view and ticket sales.
And now, as a promoter, the Golden Boy boss is confident that his rising star will snatch the mantle from Canelo Alvarez and endear himself to a mammoth Mexican-American audience.
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As things stand, the two flagship names of such heritage appear to be Garcia and David Benavidez, while Canelo remains the ultimate face of Mexican boxing.
But while Garcia could, in theory, become boxing’s leading Mexican-American star, De La Hoya has suggested that the WBC welterweight champion’s lack of Spanish represents a slight disadvantage.
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Instead, the Hall of Famer has told Ariel Helwani that 17-year-old prospect Dylan Capetillo has all the ingredients to be ‘the one’.
“[Garcia can be the next Mexican-American star] if he wants to. It’s all about performances inside the ring; it’s all about winning world titles; it’s all about who you fight.
“And you obviously have to make the effort and speak [Spanish] – you have to care. Can he be ‘the one’? Absolutely. But I truly feel ‘the one’ is [Capetillo].”
Capetillo has won both of his fights to date, one of them coming by knockout, and he will have his third outing when he features on the undercard of William Zepeda vs Lamont Roach this weekend.
Training camp is underway and Stefon Diggs remains a free agent. The former All-Pro wide receiver is searching for a new home ahead of Year 12.
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Dion Dawkins took to Instagram to recruit Diggs. Here’s a look at the duo’s interaction:
Thanks for the submission!
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Dawkins has been trying to recruit his former teammate for some time. In June, the veteran tackle revealed that he wouldn’t mind a reunion with the wideout.
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According to Yahoo Sports, Dawkins uploaded a post himself. Diggs replied. Dawkins answered back with a message that said: “It’s time.”
Dion Dawkins has spent his entire professional football career with the Buffalo Bills. The five-time Pro Bowler signed a three-year, $60.5 million contract extension ahead of the 2024 season.
Dawkins featured in 15 regular season games and two postseason showdowns in 2025. He earned his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl nod for his efforts.
Stefon Diggs endured mixed fortunes since leaving the Buffalo Bills
Stefon Diggs spent four impressive seasons with the Buffalo Bills. The shifty wide receiver was Josh Allen’s primary target during that spell, earning numerous Pro Bowl nods and leading the Bills to perennial deep postseason runs.
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The Bills traded Diggs and draft consideration to the Houston Texans after the 2023 season. Diggs was poised to help C.J. Stroud and the Texans in their quest for a Super Bowl ring.
Diggs started the 2024 season in decent form, amassing a stat line of 47 receptions, 496 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in eight games. However, his season ended in disaster as he suffered an ACL injury in Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts. He missed the rest of the campaign and wasn’t re-signed by DeMeco Ryan’s team.
The New England Patriots signed Diggs to a three-year, $63.5 million contract in the lead-up to the 2025 season. Diggs amassed a stat line of 85 receptions, 1,013 yards, and four touchdowns in 17 regular-season games as the Patriots reached Super Bowl LX, where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks. The perennial Pro Bowler was released in March.
Stefon Diggs is now searching for a landing spot ahead of Year 12. The Buffalo Bills, Washington Commanders, Baltimore Ravens and Indianapolis Colts are among rumored suitors for his route-running skills.
The LIV schedule could be on the brink of retracting even further.
According to a pair of reports, the latest from the Wall Street Journal, LIV is on the brink of canceling its “team championship” event, which was originally scheduled to conclude the league’s season at the end of August. The news marks the latest in a string of cost-cutting measures from LIV as the league continues its dire push for outside investment necessary to keep it afloat.
The team championship, which was originally scheduled for Michigan in the last week of August, would be the second event to be canceled since the league’s initial financial backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, announced plans to cease its funding of LIV at the conclusion of the 2026 season.
LIV has not commented publicly about any potential schedule changes, including the cancelation of the team championship, which was first suggested by league captain Martin Kaymer at LIV UK last week. Still, a league source indicated LIV was willing to “take a disciplined approach” to “long-term sustainability” while it continues its search for outside investment.
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“Discipline” can take on many forms, but one path to cost-savings is to postpone or cancel events, saving millions owed to vendors and on-site fees. It’s a lever LIV has already pulled in the post-Saudi era; in June, the league announced it was “postponing” an event originally scheduled for Louisiana after the PIF withdrew funding. Earlier this month, a LIV vendor sued the league for failing to pay its bills.
LIV is keen to point out that it will remain solvent through at least the end of the 2026 season. As part of the PIF’s exit strategy from LIV, the PIF has promised to keep operations afloat for the league they founded through the remainder of the summer.
But the path beyond Saudi divestment is murky. Even with fewer events, the league continues to burn enormous amounts of cash each quarter, and its costs have ballooned to more than $6 billion since launch. These economics have increased the pressure on LIV CEO Scott O’Neil, who has appeared in public repeatedly to pitch the league to potential investors — calls that have grown increasingly urgent as the league moves closer to a desired deal deadline of September 1.
“What we don’t have a lot of is time,” O’Neil told Sporticoat the beginning of July. “So we’re very urgently out there talking to those who are interested.”
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While LIV would not comment publicly about the reports of a team championship cancellation, the same source cautioned LIV would not make a final decision around the team championship until the conclusion of next week’s event in Bedminster, N.J. Should the team championship be canceled, LIV’s visit to Trump Bedminster would mark the penultimate event of the 2026 season, with the final event — the individual championship — expected for late-August in Indianapolis.
O’Neil is certainly hoping that LIV will have positive news to report by then, ideally in the form of a new majority investor in the league. The Associated Press reported in June that O’Neil is hoping to raise upwards of $300 million to keep the league afloat, and has had conversations with at least five potential investors.
The LIV CEO has taken to calling the “new” vision of the league “LIV 2.0.” Reports have suggested that vision could look like fewer events with purses as low as $10 million — though neither LIV nor its players have commented publicly about the vision.
“I’m always optimistic, I play golf for a living,” Jon Rahm said last week in the UK, before offering a word of caution. “I’m not going to share anything that I can’t share with you guys right now.”
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No matter how “LIV 2.0” looks, statements like these reveal the totality of the change facing LIV in the post-Saudi era. The private jet-flaunting, champagne-popping, hundred-million-dollar-signing-bonus iteration of the league that attracted Rahm is a relic of the past.
In its place, there are questions about funding, about lawsuits, and now, about plans for the end of the month.
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