The two-time major champion has mused about life as a full-time streamer. But sport should be more than just a platform to grow an athlete’s brand
G
olf: a feeder sport for aspiring YouTubers? When Bryson DeChambeau, faced with the expiry of his LIV Golf contract at the end of this year and the implosion, possibly even sooner, of the now Saudi-less LIV Golf, mused last week that he might give up life on tour to focus on his YouTube channel, most professional golf watchers scoffed. This was just a bluff, a move to gain leverage as DeChambeau, like every other LIV player, contemplates an uncertain future and negotiates the fraught path back to the PGA Tour.
“I think, from my perspective, I’d love to grow my YouTube channel three times, maybe even more,” DeChambeau said. “I’d love to do a bunch of dubbing in different languages, giving the world more reason to watch YouTube. And then I’d love to play tournaments that want me.”
To be fair, this is not the first time that DeChambeau has floated this type of package deal (YouTube clicks plus big tournament hits) as a way forward for his career. Nor is it the first time he’s brandished his online popularity as a stick to induce better terms from his paymasters. But it’s important to note the new certainty in his emphasis. DeChambeau’s stated goal is not to win golf tournaments, or challenge himself, or do it for his team or God or any of the usual forces that motivate professional athletes. His career objective now is to give the world more reason to watch YouTube. Green jackets, a place in the sport’s hall of fame, even money itself (since professional golf has to date been exceptionally kind to his bank balance): DeChambeau seems quite ready to give it all away for a life chasing views. Is this financial illiteracy, or a sign of sport’s changing priorities?
