‘WE’ are the champs!

Posted on June 27, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports June 27, 2022 #906 Up next… ‘WE’ are the champs!

There was a championship parade on Market Street in downtown San Francisco last week to celebrate the Golden State Warriors’ fourth National Basketball League championship in the last eight years. The TunneySide didn’t attend in person but watched with interest and read media reports. The conclusion was that it was a team victory. The TunneySide has consistently promoted the philosophy that the word T*E*A*M should translate to Together Everyone Accomplishes More. That theme has been evident in the voices of the Warriors – players and coaches.

When you follow any team, please look for those hidden secrets that seem to appear as the team develops during its season. While Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is no secret, all one has to do is follow him from Palisades High School in Southern California, to the University of Arizona and into the NBA to see the playing and coaching success he has had. His background has shown up in the recruitment and training of his players. Of course, he has to have the support of the ownership and general manager of the team, i.e., the Warriors.

Did you happen to notice what the first acknowledgment Kerr mentioned from the victory stand in Boston Gardens on the night of the Warriors championship?

The first words out of Kerr’s mouth were when he said “Not enough credit (for this championship) goes to our general manager, Bob Myers” meaning, of course, this championship was a team victory. Myers has been the Warriors’ general manager for 10 years (2012) but was “under fire” not long ago for failing to replace their aging players. That under-fire remark has disappeared – at least for now.

As you watched the Warriors’ season (2021-22) develop you would have expected them to win the championship, I mean they’ve got the best 3-point shooter ever, but it didn’t look that promising late in the regular season. What was it that made the difference? To the TunneySide it was the support of the rest of the team, meaning Wiggins, Poole, Iguodala, Payton as well as the others who practiced and performed to help the others do well. No, I haven’t forgotten those vital three: Curry, Thompson, and Green for without them it was merely a second-rate team. With those three and everyone else —  they are the champs!

Will you support the theme T*E*A*M – Together Everyone Accomplishes More?

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Jim’s Bobblehead is still available for $30. He has added one of his books (your choice – you pick one from his website www.jimtunney.com) at no extra charge. 

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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More on LIV (and battle with PGA)

Posted on June 20, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports June 20, 2022 #905 Up next… More on LIV (and battle with PGA)

Sure looks like the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Tour are in for a long battle. As you know the PGA Tour is not allowing its members to play in the LIV golf events and has already suspended 17  well-known golfers (among them AT&T Pro-Am favorites Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson) from its ranks. Some of those who chose the play in the LIV tour played in the US Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

How can those PGA suspended players play in the 2022 US Open, you ask? Well, the US Open is run by the USGA (United States Golf Association) which has not suspended those players who played or will play on the LIV Tour.

Speaking of LIV – what do those letters mean? First off, the LIV is a Saudi Arabian-funded golf tour and is an adversary to the PGA Golf Tour. The LIV  (Roman numerals) translates to the number 54 which represents the number of holes golfers will be playing. Before you go to your calculators – 54 equals three times the number of holes played in a normal round of golf (18). We direct you to Google or other means for a complete explanation of what LIV is attempting. Obviously, the money awarded is paramount.

Should the PGA decide to allow those 17 (and perhaps others) to play in their tournaments as well as in the LIV tournaments? There are many concerns. Here are just a few. Surely you will find others.

  • Camaraderie. While the PGA players are highly competitive, they have a gentlemanly manner about them. A manner that would be prudent for all professional players to adopt. The operative word is professional and while there may be an occasional rift, golfers love competing and welcome others who feel the same. Will that “run-for-the-LIV money” change all that?
  • Family. If golfers are allowed to play in all tournaments, what challenges will that present in their home life? How much money do golfers need to maintain a congenial family? Will money become a conflict?
  • Burnout. Golfers practice much more than they play rounds of golf. Golfers love to “hit balls.” Will the challenges of both PGA and LIV burden the family structure?

Will you support golfers playing in both the PGA and LIV tournaments?

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Jim’s Bobblehead is still available for $30. He has added one of his books (your choice – you pick one from his website www.jimtunney.com) at no extra charge. 

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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LIV Golf – What is That?

Posted on June 13, 2022 by Jim Tunney Ed.D

On the TunneySide of Sports June 13, 2022 #904 Up next… LIV Golf – What is that?

After further review… If LIV Golf is something you may be unfamiliar with, just hang on as we try to give you our best description of this new enterprise. LIV Golf is financed by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia which is among the most lucrative sovereign wealth funds in the world. Its value is estimated at $600 billion!

LIV has drawn many of the most famous golfers in the world. Let’s start with LIV’s CEO – Australian entrepreneur Greg Norman who has won 89 professional golf tournaments, 20 PGA tournaments, and 2 Open Championships in 1986 and 1993. Those tournaments alone have made Norman a multimillionaire. The LIV is mostly about money, money, money!

The LIV will be a major challenger to the PGA Tour which has just suspended Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and 15 other players for joining the LIV. Tiger Woods has reportedly turned down more than $9 million to play on the LIV tour.  Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and several other major players have also turned down this opportunity. But Bryson DeChambeau, Pat Perez, and Patrick Reed all recently signed to play in LIV Golf.

LIV Golf is controversial because of the source of its funding – the Saudi Arabic Public Investment Fund (PIF).  PIF serves as the financial arm of the Saudi government, which has been accused of several human rights violations — the assassination of Washington Post columnist, Jamal Khashoggi among them. While America has a long way to go in the field of human rights and social justice, are we the only nation that truly cares?

In an attempt to cleanse its reputation, the Saudi government has invested heavily in sports organizations and events, ranging from Premier League soccer to the WWF, a practice known as “sports washing.” Sports washing is commonly utilized as a propaganda technique to distract the public. Perhaps the first distraction took place as the LIV Golf first event was in London last week where Mickelson, Johnson, and others played. Other events scheduled on the tour include Portland, Oregon; Bedminster, New Jersey; Chicago, Boston, Miami, Bangkok, Jeddah, and, of course, Saudi Arabia.

Where does this “battle” go from here? As the TunneySide sees it – lawyers get your briefs ready for court. If either organization bars a golfer from his rightful place to earn his living, the final resting place may have to be in the courts.

On another golf note, the TunneySide congratulates Mina Harigae who recently finished second in the 2022 U.S. Open in North Carolina. Mina first learned golf at AT&T Pebble Beach Junior Golf. She will be playing in the 2023 US Open Women’s Tournament at Pebble Beach Golf Course from July 5-9.

What is your take on the LIV Golf intrusion on the PGA tour?

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Jim’s Bobblehead and books examining the philosophy and value of sports can be found in the many books he has written.

Shop here.

To contact Jim, go to www.jimtunney.com  or email jim@jimtunney.com.

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