Hamburgers and Golf

So, the last few days I have been in a mood.

My guys think it is amusing, especially since I am in a mood about two things for which I am not an expert: the world of business and the world of sports.

It all started Monday night when Joe, Timothy, and I watched The Founder, a movie about brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald, salesman Ray Kroc, and the story of the McDonald’s franchise. If you have seen the movie, then you know what happens; if you have not, here is a synopsis: two nice, honest, earnest brothers meet Ray Kroc, ruthless and egotistical, who bullies, cheats, goes back on his word (both oral and written), breaks contracts, and ultimately steals the brothers’ ideas AND their name.

By the end of the movie, I was incensed at the injustice of it all, especially when I considered that there is probably a business class somewhere extolling the drive, ingenuity, vision, and business plan of Ray Kroc who revolutionized the fast-food concept on a world-wide scale. This class will analyze charts and study growth patterns and place the Almighty Dollar on a pedestal which signifies success.

What happened to honesty and integrity? What about respect? Does the end really justify the means?

As I said to my guys: "The next time I see a plaque honoring Ray Kroc as the founder of McDonald's, I might have to say something."

And then, today, the PGA Tour announced that it was merging with LIV Golf to form “a new collectively owned” entity, and I was in a mood. Again.

Now, I freely admit that I would rather read a book any day of the week than sit through a football game or watch a golf match. But I am surrounded by guys so I do, on occasion, enter their world and so I have been following the PGA Tour and LIV Golf debacle. Heck, I even watched all eight episodes of Full Swing on Netflix.

But today the PGA Tour caved. Oh, I listened to the news and watched interviews, and they tried to sugarcoat things, but the way I see it … they caved. After months of vehemently declaring they wanted nothing to do with LIV, they heard the siren call of money and answered that call. Show me the money! All the golfers who took insane amounts of money to join LIV will now (potentially) be allowed back, while all those who were loyal to the PGA Tour are left standing on their integrity (which, in my opinion, is worth millions, but still).

As I said to my guys: “And they call golf a gentleman’s sport?”

So there you have it. My mood for the week has been influenced by McDonald’s and golf.