Golf legend Gary Player says government should stay out of sports
CNBC Key Points
- "We've got to get governments to stay out of sport. It's absolutely vital," golf legend Gary Player told CNBC.
- Player said he backs the merger between Saudi-funded LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.
- The hall of famer also is a golf ambassador for energy giant Saudi Aramco.
Legendary golfer Gary Player thinks government and sports shouldn't mix, as the golf world goes through a major merger that has triggered antitrust concerns.
Speaking to CNBC at the Berenberg Invitational on Monday, the South African golfer said the two have become "too intertwined."
"We've got to get governments to stay out of sport. It's absolutely vital," the 87-year-old hall of famer said. "Let sports bodies stick to sports and politicians should stick to politics."
Player, though, is no stranger to political involvement in sports. He was an ambassador for Golf Saudi, an organization pushing to make the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a more prominent force in the sport. Today, he is an ambassador for the Saudi energy giant Aramco. He displays its logo on his golf shirts.
