When LIV Golf burst onto the scene with its revolutionary team-based format, it promised to reinvent the very way fans experience professional golf. With flashy branding, catchy team names like Crushers GC and Legion XIII, and heavy investments in digital engagement, LIV Golf aimed to usher golf into a bold new era.
Yet here we are, a few years in, and something still feels off.
Fans aren’t quite buying into these franchises. So, what’s holding LIV Golf back from capturing hearts and minds like traditional sports teams? Let’s break it down.
Teams Without Roots: The Geographic Void
In traditional sports, geography isn’t just a detail—it’s everything. Think about football clubs in England or baseball teams in the U.S.: communities live and breathe for their hometown heroes. Rivalries, histories, and traditions grow naturally from local pride.
LIV’s approach, however, is quite different. Teams like Legion XIII, led by Jon Rahm, aren’t tied to cities, regions, or even countries. Rahm himself described his team as one “assembled on Monday,” highlighting just how quickly—and artificially—these teams come together.
Without a sense of place, fans find it challenging to form emotional connections. They might admire individual players, but supporting a team with no real geographic or cultural ties? That’s a tougher sell.
Missing the Organic Magic
Great fanbases aren’t made in marketing meetings; they evolve naturally through shared experiences, family traditions, and the collective rollercoaster of triumphs and heartbreaks. It’s the stuff parents pass down to their kids—stories and legends that bind fans together.
LIV Golf’s teams, though creative and stylishly branded, spring directly from players’ personal interests or branding ambitions. Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats GC, for example, is tied to his personal narrative rather than any community story. Interesting? Sure. But does it stir deep-seated loyalty? Not exactly.
Contrast that with the fiery rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester United, fueled by generations of industrial rivalry and community pride. LIV Golf’s branded identities simply can’t compete with this depth of authentic passion.
Buzz vs. Genuine Fandom
There’s no denying LIV Golf’s success in grabbing eyeballs on social media. With TikTok views soaring past 193 million and fan engagement steadily climbing, the league certainly has a knack for creating online buzz.
But buzz doesn’t equal true loyalty. PGA officials like Seth Waugh openly doubt whether fans actually care about LIV’s teams. Merch might fly off shelves at events, but that’s more impulse buy than real emotional investment.
It’s easy to watch a viral TikTok. It’s far harder to commit your weekends—and your emotions—to a team that lacks history and identity.
Format Woes: A Fan Experience Problem
Golf, at its heart, is an individual sport. LIV’s shotgun start format, intended to streamline events, ironically removes much of the drama traditional fans love. Finishes lack tension because they’re scattered across multiple holes, and playoffs can feel anticlimactic.
Fans repeatedly express confusion and frustration: the team concept feels forced. Even Jon Rahm admits there’s a fundamental “trust” problem—fans simply don’t trust or fully buy into the LIV format. Without clear, compelling stakes, emotional investment remains shallow.
The Business Reality: Individual Sport, Team Overlay
Golfers don’t sign long-term team contracts like in football or basketball—they primarily rely on sponsors and individual success. This individual-first business model makes LIV’s team structure feel more like a branding gimmick than an integral part of the sport.
It’s difficult for fans to see these teams as anything more than marketing vehicles rather than true franchises worthy of deep-rooted support.
Tech Isn’t the Answer to Everything
LIV Golf has thrown plenty of innovation into fan engagement: AI-driven apps, interactive experiences, and real-time stats. Yet, technology alone can’t create the emotional ties that true fandom requires.
Belonging to a team isn’t just about consumption—it’s about identity. Fans don’t simply follow teams; they become part of them. That connection goes far beyond cool apps or flashy branding.
Structural Challenges Ahead
With golf’s traditional fanbase already skeptical about team formats and younger fans more casual in their approach, LIV faces serious challenges. Without geographic roots, authentic community history, and genuine narratives, franchises remain marketing concepts rather than meaningful entities.
While LIV may bring fresh energy to golf events, building a loyal fanbase on par with traditional team sports appears to be an uphill battle.
Final Thoughts
LIV Golf’s experiment with teams is ambitious, innovative, and intriguing—but also fundamentally flawed in terms of fostering true fan loyalty. Genuine sports fandom isn’t manufactured overnight; it grows organically through decades of shared history, emotional investment, and community bonds.
Until LIV Golf’s teams find ways to root themselves deeply in communities or meaningful narratives, they’ll likely remain fascinating brands—but not beloved teams.
And for now, that might just have to be enough.
