PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who has obtained loads of criticism over the previous few years, earned greater than $23 million in 2023, in response to Sportico.
His 2023 base wage is barely seven figures, formally listed as $1,887,096. However when contemplating bonuses, further compensation, and non-cash advantages, his take-home pay inflates to $23 million, roughly $4.5 million greater than he obtained in 2022.
Since then, Monahan has been on the forefront of the PGA Tour’s ongoing schism with LIV Golf, the circuit bankrolled by the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF). When LIV Golf launched within the early summer season of 2022, the tour reacted by suspending those that defected indefinitely. Lawsuits between the 2 sides additionally emerged, as did questions on Saudi Arabia’s morality and its questionable historical past of human rights abuses.
Whereas showing subsequent to Jim Nantz in the course of the ultimate spherical broadcast of the 2022 RBC Canadian Open, Monahan famously requested, “Have you ever ever needed to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?” This, after all, referenced the Saudi Kingdom’s ties to the September eleventh assaults, as 15 of the 19 hijackers had been Saudi residents. Households of 9/11 victims, together with many others, consequently slammed gamers for becoming a member of LIV on the onset. Monahan leaned on these households for assist and vice versa.
However one yr later, on June 6, 2023, Monahan and some different stakeholders from the PGA Tour introduced a framework settlement with the PIF. This deal, settled in personal, shocked {the golfing} world whereas angering many others. Each Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm admitted to feeling betrayed, whereas Rory Mcllroy confessed that he felt like a ‘sacrificial lamb.’ The deal made Monahan appear to be a ‘hypocrite,’ as sports activities followers far and broad couldn’t perceive how the PGA Tour’s chief government might change his stance so rapidly.
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Dealing with super scrutiny, Monahan then took a go away of absence in the course of the summer season of 2023, citing well being points. His medical go away coincided with a July 11, 2023, listening to on Capitol Hill, the place a Senate subcommittee launched an investigation into this deal. The subcommittee’s chief concern was Saudi Arabia’s enterprise ambitions inside america. It additionally nervous about its intensive file of subjugating its residents, dissenting freedoms, and propagating conflicts throughout the Center East.
But, regardless of all of the backlash from Congress and past, the framework settlement between the tour and the PIF didn’t disintegrate. As a substitute, the 2 sides proceed to work in direction of a concrete deal that may hopefully reunite PGA Tour and LIV golfers. However Monahan, the tour, and the PIF have held talks for the higher a part of 18 months now, with no clear resolution on the horizon. Monahan has not given any concrete updates both, providing a phrase salad concerning the deal’s state of affairs on the Tour Championship in August.
Monahan then performed golf with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the Governor of the PIF, within the Alfred Dunhill Hyperlinks Championship in October. Nevertheless, no concrete report concerning the settlement emerged from that encounter.
Bloomberg lately reported that the PIF could strike a cope with the DP World Tour, however it’s unclear how that will have an effect on the pending negotiations with the PGA Tour.
However, amid all this rigidity, the tour nonetheless generated $1.82 billion in earned income and $2.52 billion in non-inventory asset gross sales, thus yielding $4.33 billion in 2023.
For comparability’s sake, the NFL generated practically $20.5 billion, in response to Sportico. Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, took house $64 million in 2023 per Entrance Workplace Sports activities.
Main League Baseball’s Rob Manfried makes roughly $25 million after bonuses, making him and Goodell the one commissioners in American skilled sports activities with the next annual earnings than Monahan.
In the meantime, Adam Silver and Gary Bettman, who oversee the NBA and NHL, make roughly $10 million yearly, per Sportico.
Nevertheless, the MLB, NBA, and NHL generated extra earnings in 2023 than the PGA Tour.
Granted, these executives didn’t must cope with a sovereign wealth fund threatening their league’s existence. However Monahan taking house over $23 million is kind of an eye-opener in comparison with different salaries of these main the 4 largest leagues in American sports activities.
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. Be sure you take a look at @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as properly.
