An ethical dilemma: Should the Jordan Brand drop Harold Varner III now that he’s joined LIV Golf
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Harold Varner III and his relationship with the Jordan brand
The LIV Golf Series has caused quite the controversy since its inception, and it is not stopping anytime soon. As the series grows bigger, it has added six more golfers to their roster, including world no. 2 Cameron Smith, Harold Varner III and Joaquin Niemann to name a few. This means that their line up for their 4th event at Boston will be a rather impressive one, holding 26 of the top 100 golfers in the world.
Most cite the reasons of less play, being close to family and taking on a fresh new format of golf. However, Harold Varner III has brought about a breath of fresh air, admitting that he is going for the money that he was offered. While fans were happy that he was atleast telling the truth, but they were still not happy about it.
However, the bigger issue lies with Harold Varner III and his sponsorships- namely the big one he has with the Jordan Brand Shop. After a seriously good performance at the August’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro in 2017, he got the call from the boss himself- Michael Jordan.
Also read: Murdered journalist’s widow calls for ban on LIV Golf Series players
Is Harold Varner III’s relationship with the Jordan Brand in jeopardy
“I had been wearing Oxford Apparel and using a Nike Elite account to buy my golf shoes, but I really wanted to join Nike or something athletic. And then MJ hit me up. It was perfect,” said Varner according to Slam Online. Once he put on his first pair of Jordan XIII golf cleats, there was no going back.
“Without a doubt. I’ve seen grown men go crazy over something I’m wearing,” said Varner. “(Other Tour players get excited too, but) I don’t give a fuck about what they want. They’ll be like, ‘Can MJ get me some of those shoes?’ I just tell them to figure it out themselves and keep it moving.”
However, since Varner has now joined the LIV Series, it remains in question whether this sponsorship should continue or not. The LIV Series headed up by Greg Norman and bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)— Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He allegedly ordered the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and the country holds mass executions, persecutes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and oppresses women.
With this ethical dilemma in mind, does it make sense for the Jordan brand to associate with an individual who has essentially indirectly given his loyalty to a Saudi backed series- a series which might just change the face of golf.
Also Read: “Blow to the PGA Tour”- British Open Champ Cameron Smith makes move to LIV Golf
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