The Drubbing

In the latest edition of “Professional Sports Getting Things Right”, the PGA has decided to cancel the 2009 Skins Game. This will be the first year, since it’s inception in 1983 that the Skins Game will not be held. The PGA plans to start the event back up again in 2010.

The Skins Game had struggled to attract “top-tier” talent and rating had slid as well in recent years. So as the economic downturn worsened, it wasn’t a big surprise that their title sponsor LG didn’t renew and no one else has stepped up to fill the spot.

While the decision to cancel the event this year may have been motivated by financial performance reasons, the end result shows a little sensitivity to the plight of fans around the world that are struggling financially. Everyone knows that professional athletes are well-paid. But it just doesn’t look good when the winning golfer takes home anywhere between $500,000 to $1,000,000 or more for a single round of golf, when there are millions of Americans out of work and losing their homes to foreclosure.

Additionally, maybe this layoff will give the event organizers some time to improve the field. The star power of the first year when Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player competed really hasn’t been matched since. And the biggest star of the game, Tiger Woods, hasn’t played since 2005. Better luck next year.