We shouldn’t shun pro golfers for leaving the PGA Tour for the Saudi LIV Golf League.

LIV Golf, whose name reflects its 54-hole format, is an emerging pro golf league being funded by Saudi Arabia. The league has come into recent news following a string of players leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf’s massive contracts. Because of their switch, these players have received unwarranted backlash.

While professional athletes often feel like larger-than-life figures, it is important to remember that they are no different from everyone else at heart. Like the rest of us, these players simply want to put themselves in the best position financially for themselves and their families.

Dustin Johnson — one of the big names to sign with LIV — was paid over $100 million for his contract, according to the Telegraph. Spotrac estimated his career earnings to have been just over $70 million with the PGA. 

Another big-name golfer to make the switch, Phil Mickelson, has estimated to have earned around $100 million with the PGA contract; however, he inked a deal of about double that amount with LIV, according to Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine. 

Like employees of most other jobs, these players are leaving the PGA for better pay elsewhere; however, this is not the case for everyone.

One golfer to notably turn down a deal from LIV Golf was Tiger Woods. One of golf’s most recognizable figures, Woods was offered between $700 and $800 million, according to LIV CEO Greg Norman in an interview with Tucker Carlson. 

In a press conference at the British Open last month, Woods said that his colleagues “turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.” Woods is not alone in criticizing these golfers as the topic has diverged from one of sports to one of politics and morals. 

The criticism comes after the emergence of several controversies regarding Saudi Arabia.

Since 2015, the Saudi government has been engaged in a military conflict in Yemen, which according to the UN, has resulted in “the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.”

The Saudi government is also responsible for the death of the Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khashoggi was an open critic of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, who allegedly ordered the hit on Khashoggi, according to U.S. intelligence. 

The real question is whether these athletes have a moral obligation to turn down significant compensation due to the wrongdoing of countries that write their checks. While it may be easier to see these faces and ridicule the golfers, the larger powers at play should be the focus of scrutiny. 

The United States has been funding the conflict in Yemen by arming Saudi Arabia through weapons deals. In 2019, Donald Trump vetoed a bill that would prevent the United States from carrying out a weapons deal to Saudi Arabia worth over $8 billion. Last year, the Biden administration approved the sale of up to $650 million to Saudi Arabia. Additionally, both Trump and Biden have done little to nothing over the death of Khashoggi in fear of a ruined relationship between the powers. 

While one can certainly see a moral dilemma at play here, these golfers are being offered life-changing amounts of money to do their job of playing the sport. Our leaders not only have the ability, but also the direct responsibility to address issues such as these. If we are to be upset, the athletes should not be the first to the chopping block, and instead, we should focus our frustration on those in power being paid to represent us.