Reports are that Phil Mickelson consorts with high-stakes bookies. Remember the breaking news that Tiger Woods cavorts with high-priced prostitutes? Well, this news about Mickelson is far more shocking.
Phil Mickelson gambling like Tiger Woods cheating
Nearly $3 million transferred from golfer Phil Mickelson to an intermediary was part of ‘an illegal gambling operation which accepted and placed bets on sporting events,’ according to two sources and court documents obtained by Outside the Lines.
(ESPN, June 29, 2015)
That makes the gambling that got Pete Rose banned from Baseball look like child’s play. In fact, SB Nation reports in its June 29 edition that Mickelson’s gambling on Golf “is the stuff of legend.” Of course it turned out that Woods’s cheating was even more so.
I’m a libertarian. So I make no judgment about their extracurricular activities. And I don’t we should criminalize victimless crimes like prostitution and gambling. That smacks of puritanical hypocrisy.
Granted, these vices often have negative impacts on personal relationships. Woods’s cheating caused the end of his marriage in 2009, for example.
But I’m only interest in how being outed in this fashion will affect Mickelson’s golf game. After all, it affected Woods’s so much, he hasn’t won a Major since 2009. The public humiliation robbed Woods of his confidence and aura of invincibility. And it could rob Mickelson of his too, relatively speaking.
Phil Mickelson endorsement deals
His gambling might not cost him his marriage. But it could cost him many lucrative endorsements. And anxiety over that prospect could be no less damaging to his professional psyche.
Sponsors began dropping Tiger like a hot potato after his cheating scandal broke. Ironically, commentators began hailing this very Mickelson as the anti-Tiger. They cited his character and family life. The implication was that all professional athletes would do well to him. Ha!
But Mickelson can take heart. Because, despite all his losses, Woods, still topped Golf Digest’s 2014 money list with $54,500,000 off the course. This, while he earned only $610,775 on it. Phil was second on the list with $48,500,000 off the course. This, while he earned $2,238,019 on it.
Mind you, in 2008, the year before Tiger’s spectacular fall from grace, he topped the list with $109,600,000 off the course. This, while he earned $7,737,626 on it. That gives a sense of how much Tiger has lost, and of how much Phil could lose.