Sports

is a great example of hypocrisy and media BS. I have no love for the Saudis but the PGA, backed entirely by major corporations, is cranking their media friends behind the scenes to rag about "doing business with the Saudis". But nary a peep out of the media about those very same corporations who are the foundation of the PGA also do massive "business with the Saudis". The folks in the media know this is the case but we know who owns the media. The PGA has no problem "doing business" with Nike etc. despite the common knowledge of the slave labor conditions in China and elsewhere used to produce the branded products.

But the occasion of The Masters each year is an Orwellian spectacle for the media. The PGA has made this tournament its' "Super Bowl" and they reap huge money from that during the tournament and throughout the year as they bask in the glow. All that we ever read or see is about "beautiful Augusta" and the wonderful "traditions" of The Masters etc. Meanwhile you can be sure that the residents of color in Hyde Park won't get any media attention. The massive problems of systemic racism, corporate polluters and good old boy local politics have caused the admitted dumping of toxic chemicals there to go on for years with an EPA that faints faster than a certain Southern Senator from next door. That's just an example of one area.

The PGA and their media pals are calling out bad guys? Fine. But they don't want you to ask about that mountain of dirt under the carpet they're standing on. The Saudis are horrendous and should be punished. How to do it? In the short term nobody seems willing to pay higher fuel prices but making substantial transition away from fossil fuel for transportation is a long range project. We can give them a cold shoulder on the world stage but we have no replacement for their assistance with respect to Iran. It's a devil's bargain all the way but the media and the PGA would seem to have a good deal of experience sleeping at night after making such bargains.