Golf Channel to broadcast live Senate hearing on PGA/LIV merger

The Golf Channel will have rare appointment-viewing television on Tuesday morning for something other than a tournament. The NBCUniversal-operated network will report and air a live hearing where representatives of the PGA Tour to members of the U.S. Senate about the group's proposed alliance with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour.

The hearing, named "The PGA Tour-LIV Deal: Implications for the future of golf and Saudi Arabia’s influence in the United States," is being run by the U.S. Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. Its members aim to grill PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron White and influential board member Jimmy Dunne. The meeting was called by Richard Blumenthal (D- CT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).

In an op-ed for The Athletic, White tried to get ahead of any statement from the committee by acknowledging missteps in how the deal was communicated with players while also relaying the positives from this unexpected union:

Due to the confidential nature of negotiations surrounding the framework agreement, much of the initial reaction has been negative, colored by misinformation or misunderstanding. That’s something we take full ownership of and deeply regret. Moving forward, we firmly believe that the more the facts are discussed and understood, the further our constituents can support a potential definitive agreement — if reached — and look forward to the positive and lasting impact on all levels of our game.

The outrage over this proposed deal goes much deeper than individual player wrongdoing or even a league's leadership looking the other way on a perceived form of cheating. Because of deep resentment towards the Saudi's approach westward through sports, the hearings invite a bipartisan political theater that hasn't been witnessed in sports in some time. (Even the harshest critic of the athlete protests a few years ago can admit that they rankled one party more than the other.) These emotions are something that we should expect some of these senators to tap into.  These federal hearings tend to be events where some legislators, whether members of the House of Representatives or the Senate, try to score points with their constituents.

It should not come as a surprise that the Golf Channel has its own interest in airing the hearings. Whatever happens with this deal has massive implications on its future programming, especially since the channel didn't touch LIV with a ten-foot pole. With so many people in the dark about what may come of the deal, everyone from players to media to fans has more questions than answers, with hopes that the PGA reps offer some clarity.

While the media climate is starkly different from what existed back in 2005 during the infamous steroid hearings for Major League Baseball, the Golf Channel will certainly experience a huge lift in viewership from this public grilling. For better or worse, the Golf Channel will be the center of the sporting universe on Tuesday morning.