LIV Golf is a sideshow. And as the case with all sideshows, it's meant as a distraction. This plucky, upstart league backed by the Saudi government aims to distract people's attention away from the PGA Tour and distract their attention away from a human rights record forced to take more than a few penalty strokes. It is such a specifically interesting development because the threat to golf as we know it seems both very real and cartoonishly non-threatening.

On paper, one can understand how the status quo will be completely upset if legions of pros follow the path blazed by Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau and others, holding their nose to receive a big, fat payday. But in practice, what does this really look like? Is LIV Golf a monumental moment in sports history that will change everything or a punchline and helpful identifier for the worst people in professional golf destined for spectacular failure?