Nonprofit?

Here’s some news to me:

The PGA Tour is a nonprofit, meaning, of course, that it does not pay taxes.

Even though it ended 2021 with $4.5 billion in assets and $3.3 billion in liabilities, it’s a nonprofit.

Despite employing over 1,000 employees, 13 of whom are paid over a million dollars a year, it’s a nonprofit.

Despite earning $583 million from media rights, $152 million from managing tournaments, $175 million from co-sponsoring tournaments, and $176 million from sponsorships, it’s a nonprofit.

Despite owning more than 40 for-profit C corporations, it’s a nonprofit.

Despite operating as “the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers” – their own description on their “About” page – it’s a nonprofit.

And now, after claiming justifiable moral outrage over the Saudi-backed LIV Tour for more than a year, the PGA has pivoted 180 degrees and partnered with that same morally onerous, Saudi-backed golf tour in order to increase revenue and retain talent.

The PGA operating as a nonprofit seems a little crazy to me.

Granted, there are nonprofit religious organizations far wealthier than the PGA in terms of land, assets, and cash, but presumably, they are doing charitable work in the community. Helping people in need. Making the world a better place.

And yes, at least a few of these religious organizations are far more morally onerous than a golf tour could ever be, so perhaps we should reconsider their nonprofit status, too.

Arguably, any organization that knowingly shields and continues to employ a veritable army of child rapists – many of whom continued to work alongside children – should probably be stripped of their nonprofit status forever.

But I spend my Sunday mornings on the golf course, so this whole PGA Tour nonprofit revelation felt a little more personal, at least for a moment.