Apr 30, 2026 · 53 min
Saudi funding falters as LIV Golf struggles to build an audience
Hour 3 - Hole in None
The episode tests whether billions in backing can create a durable sports league—and whether business interests will erase the divide between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
- 1LIV Golf’s Saudi-backed spending produced limited audience growth and little lasting cultural relevance, according to Maller.
- 2Maller expects the PGA Tour to welcome back LIV defectors when star power and commercial interests outweigh questions of principle.
- 3A debate over NASCAR’s athletic demands gives way to tense calls, White Sox trivia, and practical questions about food, AI, and travel.
Don't miss
A call with Blind Scott escalates from meet-and-greet plans and activism into accusations and threats before Maller cuts it short.
The brief
Ben Maller opens on reports that Saudi Arabia is ending financial support for LIV Golf, arguing the tour spent billions without building a meaningful audience or cultural footprint.
The LIV debate turns to whether Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Dustin Johnson could return to the PGA Tour, with Maller predicting business will beat principle.
A separate sports argument asks whether NASCAR drivers are athletes. Maller acknowledges racing’s physical demands but ranks drivers below athletes in more conventionally strenuous sports.
The hour’s most volatile stretch comes when Blind Scott discusses the Boston meet-and-greet, activism, and listener conflicts; accusations and threats force Maller to end the call.
After White Sox trivia with Lawnmower Mike, Ask Ben covers Chicago chicken, AI tools, airplane routines, and plans for a Massachusetts trip centered on baseball and lobster.
Books & mentions
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