Abstract
Sports communication scholars often teach and research sports, athleticism, and fandom as hopeful platforms for transformation and social justice (Billings & Butterworth, 2022). Equally, sports can serve as a barometer of institutional threats and vulnerabilities; such is the case of LIV Golf. This project puts LIV in conversation with contemporary trends in global democracy. LIV was formed in 2021, and is considered a rival professional golf circuit to the Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA) Tour, and the DP World Tour, which is a European tour affiliated with the PGA. LIV is funded by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. In its fourth year as a rival league to the PGA, LIV continues to be controversial for a host of reasons, including: operations, leadership, world ranking system, athlete association, ties to the Saudi Arabian government, and source of funds. Situated at the intersection of political and sports communication, the goal of this project is to collect and rhetorically analyze the following public discourse surrounding LIV Golf: (1) Institutional and social media coverage of the league; (2) Athlete interviews; and, (3) Statements by PIF and external supporters of the league. To that end, the author will first identify and frame how LIV is rhetorically constructed; then, position LIV as a case study analysis to explore global political phenomena. Finally, the author considers how the case of LIV symbolically exposes patriarchal and oligarchical threats to democracy.
Presenters
Mary Anne TaylorAssociate Professor, Communication Studies, Emerson College, Massachusetts, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Global Sports Local Cultures
KEYWORDS
LIV Golf, Democracy, Critical Rhetorical Analysis, Oligarchy, Political rhetoric
