OT-Phil Mickelson will no longer golf in Detroit golf tournament
I've never been a fan of his so I'm biased, but to me this is a punk move. The News recently reported that Phil lost a bunch of money to a bookie in Detroit years ago and now Phil says he will no longer play in the Quicken Loans tournament. Super petty and stupid as the two have nothing to do with one another but what really got me is this quote from the piece regarding charitable work...
“'I was looking at some ways where my foundation might be able to get involved and when you have a divisive voice like that you can't bring people together,' he said. He did not offer any specifics on his plans."
Unless the News is manipulating this quote this is pretty low. He is not obligated to give the nonprofits of Detroit a penny but to essentially say "I am so selfless for considering making some donations but one of the newspapers reported on something that made me mad and now it's just not possible for me to donate but please give me credit anyway"
Am I being reasonable or do I need to quit drinking and go to bed?
Drink moar
Eucalyptus mead is your choice, MeanJoe?
Fuck Phil Mickelson
Phuck Phil Phigjam
The guy is a douche. Threatening to not participate in a tournament because the local paper wrote an unflattering but true story about him is the height of arrogance. And he makes it sound like he’s doing the tournament a favor by showing up. Like it has nothing to do with the $7.5mm purse.
"I am such a great guy and want to help Detroit with charities because I'm so nice, but now I can't possibly ever help Detroit again because the city wasn't able to stop a shitty journalist from mentioning me losing money 20 years ago."
-Phil, probably
10.1.1I don’t know. The story is from something that happened like 25 years ago and Phil was never proven to have done anything wrong so why even bring it up now? I get where he looks at it and is put off. It’s not going to have any effect on the tourney but he probably felt like it was his only way to basically get back at them for writing the article
Keep drinking and stay awake.
At first I thought he was dropping out, but he did not. He is saying he won't come back next year. I'm a fan of his, and I know that Phil likes to gamble but it isn't a good look to have mob implications so he wants it to stay secret. Now that he's been outed he's bitter.
I don't understand what he gains by announcing this now, it only encourages heckling and more bad PR. He could've just bowed out a year from now and said nothing until then. Instead he turned a one day story into a 2 day story. Let's see how well he plays, probably poorly if I had to guess. It won't be easy to ignore the heckling, but he brought it on himself.
Here is the original story which I thought was fair, albeit sensationalized.
Yeah because Phil Mickelson needs Detroit and not the other way around?
Outed? Did you even read the stories? This is like 20 year old “news”. Hey one of the best stories in golf and a hall of fame player is in town, let’s gratuitously piss him off by “reporting” on old, previously reported “news” while he’s in town.
He likely was paid an appearance fee to show up in Detroit, so of course he’s not dropping out.
He gives zero fucks about making this a 1 or 2 or whatever days story. What he does care about is telling Detroit to fuck off, which he has very effectively done in a very public manner.
Sports media in Detroit have taken Valenti's lead and troll nonstop. Two garbage papers that I can't believe anyone would pay actual money to read.
The PGA tour doesn't allow appearance fees, so he came to play in this tourney (and will keep playing) for the same reason every player shows up: it fits in their schedule, their sponsors think it's a good idea (eg KPMG has a big office in Detroit), and he thinks he has a chance to perform well on the course and win some good prize money -- not necessarily in that order.
And Detroit needs Phil Mickelson? For what? What needle does he move for the city? He's one guy who visits a city for 1 week.
And he obviously cares a lot about this -- he was on Twitter yesterday, getting in back & forths w 100 follower accounts about this. Those aren't the actions of someone who gives zero fucks. Those are the actions of someone seriously annoyed this was brought up.
Totally agree. The idea that a city needs any one person, let alone a (world class) jackass (world class) golfer is so absurd to me. The appeal of the cult of personality in this country is worrisome.
The city doesn't need one person but the golf tournament can't afford to lose "big" names which drive marketing and ad revenue. It's not like the field is littered with top 20 players. I'm not arguing whether Phil is right, wrong, or a douche but people tune in when he is playing that's why at 51 he still gets the endorsement deals he does.
The only person this is true with in golf over the past 20 years is Tiger, even after his 2010 dealio. There were tons of anonymous reports of golfers on the tour who hated Tiger, but admitted that they missed him because of the money and prestige he brought wherever he went.
It's not the city that needs Mickelson. It's the RMC. Those people are trying to put on a quality golf tournament, which means they need quality golfers and big names. The story about Mickelson was not "newsworthy," despite the News' publisher sticking his snotty nose in the air and declaring it so. Nobody's life is improved with that story and nobody is better informed of the issues because of it. That makes it tabloid gossip fodder.
What the News did, damaged the RMC. Their refusal to admit any kind of blame on their part is pretty disgusting. The media has zero humility at all and they all think the sun shines out of their own assholes.
The PGA Tour does not pay appearance fees. at all. He was not paid to play in Detroit. Not even Tiger gets appearance fees to play in PGA tour events. This is not conjecture, this is fact.
At the end of the day michiganders are their own worst enemy. Apparently click bait “reporting” isn’t limited to the Detroit free press any longer.
Just put curiosity, is there any market in the country where sports figures are treated with dignity and reverence? Have they ever been?
IMO, it is and always has been entertainment coverage. Although we should support good journalism, in broader media we shouldn't really expect athletes to be covered any more seriously than the Kardashians. And a major golf figure's association with a mob affiliated bookie with local ties is at least as relevant as whatever clubs he has in his bag...
“Phil and a bunch of his buddies back then were betting on sports, and Phil was the guy placing the bets...They got this guy’s name and had no idea what his background was.”
Yes, I’m sure an experienced gambler like Mickelson had no idea that a longtime Vegas bookie named DeSerrano might possibly have underworld connections. A total surprise.
I’m just guessing that DeSerrano made more fair payouts than the US govt. does when it comes to gambling. I just can’t muster up the hate for a golfer because of his gambling habits. BTW, put Pete Rose in the Hall of Fame before he’s dead.
"I just can’t muster up the hate for a golfer because of his gambling habits."
Apparently the PGA is taking the downside risks of gambling a bit more seriously than you are:
Sources say PGA Tour's integrity program, related to gambling, to include caddies
"The integrity program, according to the Tour, is designed "to maintain integrity and prevent and mitigate betting-related corruption in PGA Tour competitions – ensuring competitions always reflect, and appear to reflect, the best efforts of the players, while protecting the welfare of the players and others involved with the PGA Tour – through clear policies and regulations, ongoing education and training, and effective and consistent monitoring and enforcement functions.”
https://mgoblog.com/comment/reply/node/145002/comment_forum/244194838
It will be interesting to see how he plays today.
A kid just out of college is leading the way, on an "easy" course, and Phil is 5 - 6 shots behind.
Will Phil "tank" shots on an easy course just to get out of Detroit today, or will he play well enough to make the cut for Saturday/Sunday?
My money is on Phil shooting par and being on his G5 around 5 PM today to be home in time for dinner.
Phil Mickelson has always been a better golfer than person.
His nickname in our house is Phildo...
Tiger’s mom called him, “Hefty.” ?
Phil Nippleson is a giant fucking douchebag
Fat shaming, kewl. What, are we RCMB over here? Btw, dude it's in fantastic shape these days.
A you implying that if Phil lost weight, his nipples would shrink? Where was he fat shaming?
Fat shaming his nipples?
Scared money don't make money. I'm sure the bookie can find Ol Chubby if he really wants to.
There was zero new information in the article. It's a 23 year old story. There was absolutely nothing to gain by publishing this article, other than to embarrass people...again.
I don't blame Phil at all. He doesn't need to come here. And fine, he may be on the other side of his career, but he's still a draw. It was a bush league move by TDN.
I don't blame Phil at all.
Really? Phil is pulling all his charities away from Detroit, because the city wasn't able to stop a writer from publishing something that wasn't even that bad for Phil. Sure, he doesn't need to come here, but this is a non-issue that Phil turned into a lame excuse to trash Detroit.
10.1.1Depends on your perspective and which side of the article you're on.
I don't know if Phil is embarrassed by his younger self, or far more discrete. I don't know if he's changed and wants to move on or he hasn't and would prefer to not raise those questions.
I do know that I wouldn't want noise from half a life ago to be raised unnecessarily. And when a local mouthpiece decides that's more important than the impact I could have, I would take my influence to where I felt welcomed.
Many people with influence have egos, and Detroit does not have the luxury of upsetting potential influencers.
One shitty tabloid writer isn't the city of Detroit. For Phil to not recognize this, and instead trash the entire city for being "negative" towards him is incredibly stupid and thin-skinned.
He's holding charities over suffering people's heads and telling them that their city better put a clamp-down on any potential journalists giving him any amount of mild criticism. I don't know how anyone can defend that.
It's akin to me pulling my annual $100 donation to a pediatric cancer charity because a kid on a bicycle flipped me off the other day. "Well hmphhh, if kids are gonna be mean to me, then I won't donate to their cancer charity anymore!"
Ok, so punish the club/city/region and fans because a desperate, irrelevant newspaper recycled an old, unflattering story about you for clicks. Makes perfect sense.
I don't really care, but fuck that guy, and fuck the DetNews, too.
It's the Detroit News, a paper always looking to find new, negative lows. 'Oooh look at the nasty stuff I can bring up from decades ago. Click here, read me, make my editor like me.'
Can't blame PM for the eye roll and saying bye-bye for the next event. Life is too short to suffer in Detroit any more than is absolutely necessary...
Agreed, if anything is a petty move it's the Detroit News coming out with this story that occurred 20 years ago just because Mickelson was in town. The Detroit News once again is an embarrassment to this region.
It doesn't have to be one or the other ya know. Seems like a dumb story but also a dick head move from Phil as well. Fuck em both.
Yea, Phil isn't the "good guy" in this scenario. Detroit news sucks, and Phil is a petulant child.
10.1.1Agree that this story was a pure "look at me" for the reporter and his editor, National Enquirer-level sensationalism to attack a celebrity when he's in town. Just pure nasty gossip. The story has nothing to do with anything relevant today, but the state of the local dailies is so pathetic now that it's not surprising.
As for Phil, my hope is that he was just venting and with reconsideration he might come back next year. Was he abusing his power? You could argue so, but the point is he does have tremendous leverage. He's the biggest draw in the game by far, and his presence at the event does sell thousands of tickets and does draw television viewers which helps the charities the event sponsors. He has all the choices in the world, and he chose to come to this event.
I was on the course yesterday and Phil was by far the biggest attraction and his rapport with the fans is palpable. He did throw a bit of a tantrum, but I suspect this is something that he's been wanting to get off his chest for a long time re the media and how they are generally reduced now to tabloid creeps who basically nobody trusts or gives any credence to.
"National Enquirer-level sensationalism"
Please don't insult them. They broke the stories on Gary Hart, John Edwards and Tiger.
I guess they couldn't rehash Tiger's issues since he's not playing.
If it was me, I'd do what Phil plans on doing, but would have said nothing.
But I don't tell other people how to live and act. He obviously cares, he's sensitive about it, and he's human. His reaction was a mistake. He may or may not see or believe that some day.
In any event, I personally find it refreshing that someone at least says what they feel and think, rather than the usual IMG et al press corp statement.
And, why would someone like him keep coming to Detroit?
Both are in the wrong in this situation. Newspaper for the scummy reporting and Phil for responding the way he did.
The 'I was maybe going to do some charitable work and now I'm not' part is obviously petty on Phil's part, but if we're taking sides in this one I'm with him vs. the paper.
It's no secret that Phil likes to gamble, and so I'm sure he's placed bets with some shady-ass people over the years, but there's nothing new in this story and it's 20+ years old? It's like reminding your buddy of the nasty girl he hooked up with in college when you go out to dinner with him and his wife.
Yea Phil doesn't seem like a great guy. A hell of a golfer but he's had a history of unpaid gambling debts and some insider trading stuff.
I'm with Phil on this one. Regardless of his personal life and decisions, he's one of the larger eye-draws on tour... which could only be a net positive for this tournament.
I've lived in AA, Plymouth, and few other Midwest cities across a few states. We're already "flyover" states to both coasts, and now some hack writer puts out a 20 year old hit-piece of writing to get some clicks because a prominent, nationally relavent golfer is coming to town... not a good look. He could have gone about it better, but the general "fuck Detroit" sentiment I don't really blame him for, at all.
Wait...now we're moving on to *Ann Arbor* and *Plymouth* will be effected because Phil Mickelson is not going golf one week a year in Detroit anymore?
Ann Arbor is booming, and the only thing holding back its population growth is they can't decide whether to building housing fast enough (as noted on the front page of Mgoblog, more times than is probably prudent for a sports blog) for all the people (particularly upper income) who want to move there. A lot of the middle part of the country is ignored by the coasts, but Ann Arbor doesn't have that problem. This will effect Ann Arbor, Plymouth, etc zero in monetary or perception terms.
The only people that should concerned are the people who run the Rocket Mortgage Classic and their partners, and as long as Dan Gilbert is worth more money than Phil Mickelson could ever dream about, they will also be fine.
That's because golfers are independent contractors and 98% of them need to show up where the money is -- and very, very few people have more money (and have a company that spends more of it on golf) than Dan Gilbert.
Sure but very few top players show up to Detroit in the first place, because they don't have to and they would rather not. Again I don't agree with Phil's reaction but he has a little bit more leverage here than you are implying. This isn't a major. It's not the memorial or the players. It's not being played at Pebble Beach, Oakmont, or Bethpage. It's the Rocket Mortgage Classic at the Country Club of Detroit. They need names (at least a couple) to show up or the tournament will move on elsewhere once the contract is over.
Thank you for stating what I was getting at... Detroit (and many other Midwest cities) aren't a huge draw for anyone outside of the Midwest... and it's going to stay that way forever if their aren't reasons to travel to the Midwest. Sure, PM is just one guy, but he was probably the biggest name in the field... and now he won't be returning next year because some dipshit writer wanted to score some cheap clicks.
To the poster I originally replied to... I don't disagree at all that AA, Plymouth, etc aren't absolutely booming, they have been for years. But you're not going to convince me business owners in SE Michigan wouldn't want more out -of -staters coming in for a premier golf event... and it's only premier when you have the big name Pro's playing in it.
Dumb move by the paper and the writer.