Pickleball Outshines LIV Golf in Viewership: Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee recently took aim at LIV Golf, arguing that the breakaway league struggles to capture viewer interest. Speaking on the Dan on Golf Show with host Dan Rapaport, Chamblee compared LIV’s audience numbers to pickleball, suggesting the latter might be more popular.
The LIV Golf League consists of 54 players and 13 teams competing in a 14-event season for individual and team championships. Despite its roster of high-profile golfers, Chamblee believes LIV lacks significance.
Lack of Viewer Interest
Chamblee, 62, explained why he thinks LIV Golf is failing to attract fans.
“People only really watch sports that matter. You’ve only got so many hours in a day to invest in the entertainment aspects of watching a sport. I don’t think there’s any sense that anything that they’re doing on LIV matters historically, or will matter from a legacy standpoint,” -(Brandel Chamblee)
He emphasized that most golf fans can recall winners of PGA TOUR events but struggle to do the same for LIV.
“If you ask people in the golf business to go through every TOUR event this year, and tell you who won, they could probably do it. Right? If you ask people to do the same thing about LIV, there’s just zero chance that they could do it, unless they’re in the business of getting into granular detail about everything. I think there’s a sense that those that went to LIV sold their business really at a discount, I would argue. It’s just not resonating.”-(Brandel Chamblee)
Pickleball Comparison
Chamblee then compared LIV Golf’s viewership to that of pickleball, further questioning its relevance.
“I think I got the numbers wrong in one of my tweets last week. I said their year-end event that concluded on the East Coast in prime time last year with [Jon] Rahm winning got 55,000. It actually got 89,000. But, whether it’s 55 or 89, the point is still the same. Relatively speaking, almost nobody’s watching”.
“More people will watch a pickleball event than that. And you’re talking about Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, Phil Mickelson. You’re talking about ostensibly a star-chalked field. And nobody watched.”-(Brandel Chamblee).
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LIV’s Challenges and Future
Chamblee’s remarks highlight ongoing challenges for LIV Golf, which has struggled with television ratings and mainstream recognition. Despite signing big names, the league faces questions about its long-term impact on the sport.
Whether LIV can grow its audience remains to be seen. Meanwhile, Chamblee’s comparison to pickleball underscores the shifting landscape of sports viewership.
News in Brief: Pickleball Outshines LIV Golf in Viewership
Brandel Chamblee criticized LIV Golf’s lack of viewer interest, claiming more people watch pickleball. He argued that LIV lacks historical importance and struggles to resonate with fans. Despite featuring top players, its recent event drew under 90,000 viewers. Chamblee’s comments raise concerns about LIV’s long-term impact on the sport.
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