Daily Archives: February 21, 2022

Well before the pandemic raised concerns around the health impacts of social distancing, isolation from others and feelings of loneliness have been shown to be contributing factors to higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in older adults.

Now, new research in older women in particular shows that isolation and loneliness are associated with an increased risk for a composite endpoint of major CVD, which includes heart disease, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease.

The 8-year prospective cohort study, conducted from March2011 to March2019 in the United States, showed that social isolation and loneliness were associated with an increased risk for incident CVD in postmenopausal women by 8% and 5%, respectively, after adjustment for health behaviors and outcomes. For older women who experience high levels of both social isolation and loneliness, the increased risk was up to 27%.

Results of the study were published in the February issue of JAMA Network Open.

Several previous trials have indicated that social isolation and loneliness are prevalent among older adults, and are associated with CVD risk factors, such as elevated blood pressure, cholesterol levels, obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet.

Given that women make up the majority of older adults in the United States, targeting postmenopausal women was a particular area of interest. For this analysis, the researchers focused on women 65 to 99years of age who had previously participated in the Women's Health Initiative Extension StudyII and had no history of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, or coronary heart disease.

Over the duration of the study, information was gathered from 57,825 women with an average age of 79years. Participants responded to questionnaires designed to assess social isolation in 2011 or 2012, and then were sent a second questionnaire assessing loneliness and social support in 2014 or 2015. A total of 1599 CVD events occurred over 186,762 person-years of follow-up.

Results shows that social isolation and loneliness were tied to heightened CVD risk in this population, even after adjustment for behaviors that already affect cardiovascular health, such as smoking, poor diet, and sedentary lifestyle.

High vs low social isolation was associated with major CVD, with a hazard ratio of 1.18 (95%CI, 1.13- 1.23). The hazard ratio for high vs low loneliness was 1.14 (95%CI, 1.10- 1.18).

After additional adjustment for health behaviors and health status, those hazard ratios were 1.08 for social isolation (95%CI, 1.03- 1.12) and 1.05 for loneliness (95%CI, 1.01- 1.09).

"Women with both high social isolation and high loneliness scores had a 13.0% to 27.0% higher risk of incident CVD than did women with low social isolation and low loneliness scores," the authors report.

"This is a strong signal to us that there is some pathway that is causing higher levels of cardiovascular disease among people who are socially isolated and lonely," said coauthor John Bellettiere, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of epidemiology at the UCSanDiego Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health. "I think further epidemiological investigation will go into understanding what those pathways are [so] we might be able to come up with alternate solutions."

The fact that social isolation and loneliness were also distinct factors for increasing CVD risk in this population group was another key study finding. "In my mind, those two things are almost the same, [yet] there are a lot of people who have high levels of social isolation but they're not lonely," said Bellettiere. "Understanding the whole dynamic between the lack of relationship between these two constructs and that each of them are independently important in CVD in postmenopausal women was a surprise."

Interestingly, social support was not a significant effect modifier of these associations, they note.

"I always thought social support would buffer any type of loneliness or isolation, but as we tested in the study, I don't think it functions that way," says lead author Natalie Golaszewski, PhD, a post-doctoral scholar at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science. She cautioned that this could be due to the fact that too few women who were assessed had low levels of social support to see a modifying effect.

"Those women who were socially isolated and lonely also had poor health behaviors and health outcomes, so it warrants more research around what is the relationship between feeling [this way] and your behaviors," says Golaszewski.

Kathryn Rexrode, MD, MPH, chief of the Division of Women's Health, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, noted that having a more granular look at the factors that affected study participants such as race, economic status, and living conditions would have been beneficial in determining different interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness.

"If I think about my own patients and their different living conditions, there is a dramatic difference if you're a senior in assisted living with a lot of social interaction compared to someone alone in an apartment with poor physical function," she said. "I think we have to look at structural issues, including financial resources, that might contribute to social isolation and loneliness."

Given that there is a very clear relation between social isolation, loneliness, and poor health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, the next step would be to focus on developing ways to identify people who are at risk, Rexrode said. "I do think this study stresses the need to think about effective interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness, especially with our aging population."

Researchers say measuring social isolation and loneliness as part of standard primary care practice could go a long way in identifying patients at risk. They suggest asking a few simple questions around living conditions or creating an index score to get a pulse on a patient's social connection.

The National Institute on Aging has also developed a Social Isolation and Loneliness Outreach Toolkit. "This toolkit includes a whole host of ideas for supporting older adults in reducing social isolation and lonelinessand there may be some interventions that resonate," said Bellettiere.

Beyond social supports, there is potential for future treatments that could help patients at risk, he said. "I believe if we can isolate some of the physiologic pathways, interventions specifically tailored to that pathway could be developed, potentially alternative mechanisms that might be able to shift the levers that are contributing to cardiovascular disease."

The study was supported by unrestricted grants from the NIA, HIH, and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestion and Kidney Diseases. Bellettiere reported receiving grants from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) during the conduct of the study, and personal fees from Meta outside the submitted work. Disclosures for coauthors appear in the published study.

JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5:e2146461. Full text

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Staff photo by Clay SchuldtAfter 50 years with the Boy Scouts, Tom Henderson is retiring as a scout leader. During the Troop 25 pancakebreakfast, scouts from across Minnesota and across generations came to thank Henderson for his serviceto the scouts. Henderson poses with a family of scouts that were impacted by his service. Back Row L toR: Janet Samuelson, Jared Budenski, Tom Henderson and Jordan Budenski. Middle Row: Annika Samuelson,Jake Budenski and Jenna Andrews. Front Row L to R: Ronik Samuelson, Jacey Budesnki and Carter Andrews.

NEW ULM There was more than pancakes to celebrate Sunday at the New Ulm area Boy Scout Troop 25 annual Pancake Breakfast Sunday at Holy Trinity Cathedral. Scouts gathered as well to celebrate Tom Hendersons service to Scouting. Henderson is retiring from the Scouts after 50 years of volunteer service and leadership.

The annual pancake breakfast is the troops main fundraiser for the year. The profits cover the cost of programming and other activities for the scouts. The money covers a variety of odds and ends, including camping supplies. The average turnout for the pancake breakfast is between 700 and 800 people.

This years pancake breakfast was special because it was also a chance to honor long-time Troop Committee Chairman Tom Henderson, who has helped multiple generations of Scouts.

Throughout the pancake breakfast, dozens of current and former members of Scouting came to see Henderson and thank him for his service.

Hendersons time with the scouts is actually longer than 50 years. He originally joined Cub Scouts as a kid in Fairmont. As an adult, while living near Chaska, Henderson again joined the scouts as an assistant scoutmaster. After a year in a half, he moved to Brown County to become the Director of Human Services for the county.

Henderson said when he became director at 27 he was not sure if he would have time for the Scouts, but a month into moving to Brown County, he was contacted by the local Troop and asked to serve as a Troop assistant. Henderson agreed to join as an assistant, but upon arriving at an early campout, learned he was scoutmaster.

Few adults serve in the Boy Scouts for 50 years. Henderson said the secret to his longevity in the Scouts was the great help he received from other adults.

Henderson Sid there was a time in the late 1970s when it seemed like he was the only adult assisting with the local Troop, and he resigned. Henderson was asked to return with the promise there would be more adult assistance.

Ever since I came back Ive been surrounded by helpers, he said. Several parents and other available adults stepped up to keep the Troop going strong. With extra assistance, he said being in the Scouts became much more fun.

Henderson said his best memories with the Scouts were the campouts. He recently did the math and estimates at least two full years of his life were spent camping outdoors during various scout events.

Henderson received numerous awards and accolades for his service to the Scouts. His most prized award was being listed at one of the 10 Outstanding USA Scoutmasters in 1998. This was a national award. He was brought out to the National Adult Boy Scout of American Convention in San Diego, CA for the presentation.

Of the many things he taught the Scouts over the years, Henderson hoped to impart leadership skills, a sense of service and camaraderie among the boys.

He was very proud to see several of his former scouts move on to leadership positions and continue to give back to the community.

Henderson was also happy when Scouts became more comfortable communicating. He saw many shy scouts join the Troop and leave as chatterboxes.

You do learn to work together as a team, Henderson said.

Scoutmaster Dan Kotten said the thing he will miss most about Henderson is the wealth of knowledge he brought to the Scouts.

If you had a question, he always had the answer, Kotten said.

He will also be remembered by all the scouts who learn from him.

Kotten counted himself among those many scouts.

It was estimated Henderson was a leader of at least a thousand scouts in his tenure. Roughly 125 scouts achieved the rank of Eagle Scout under his supervision.

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IKEDA, Osaka -- A 33-year-old male wombat at Satsukiyama Zoo in this west Japan city has recently been certified as the oldest ever captive member of his species, and Guinness World Records sent certificates for a Feb. 11 ceremony at the zoo.

Wain the wombat is over 100 years old in human terms, the zoo said.

The average lifetime of wombats in captivity is 20 to 25 years. Although Wain, who turned 33 in January 2022, has cataract in one eye and his legs and back have weakened, he has won fans for his cutely clumsy but vigorous demeanor as he moves around every day. He is so friendly to humans that he approaches visitors when he sees them holding a camera, apparently because he has lived at the zoo for so long and has gotten used to being photographed.

The secret to Wain's longevity is eating well. The zoo said that his favorite foods are green grass and sweet potatoes, and he also eats special order rusks and almonds to boost his calorie intake.

Zookeeper Iori Matsumoto, 24, cited other keys to Wain's longevity, saying, "He's been kept in a calm, stress-free environment surrounded by nature, and being right next to his good female friend Yuki might have helped, too."

Wain was rescued from the pouch of his mother, who was hit by a car on Australia's Tasmania island in 1989, and was transferred to the city of Ikeda the following year. Currently, four of the six wombats in Japan are at Satsukiyama Zoo. One of them, named Fukumaru, has become a kind of mascot for the city, appearing on posters as part of its local revitalization efforts.

"We hope Wain will stay healthy and live even longer," said zoo vice head and keeper Taiki Endo, 33.

(Japanese original by Makiko Nagao, Student Newspapers Editorial Department)

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As the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing entered their second week, reports emerged of a controversy that symbolized a predicament threatening two of the globes biggest sporting events.

It had nothing to do with doping, dubious scoring, collusion or corruption. Rather, the Olympic flame that emblem of peace and solidarity ignited quadrennially in Greece by the suns rays had apparently been snuffed out.

In an echo of 2008, when a relay torch was rumored to have been extinguished during pro-Tibet protests in the buildup to the Beijing Summer Games, Chinese officials insisted the flame had in fact remained alight, and a snowstorm had merely affected visibility.

In truth, the Olympic flame has been flickering unsteadily for some time, its longevity jeopardized by waning interest and rising dissatisfaction.

U.S. cross-country skier Caitlin Patterson trains in Zhangjiakou, China, ahead of the Beijing Olympics. The Chinese capital was awarded the Games in a two-horse race with Almaty in Kazakhstan. | DOUG MILLS / THE NEW YORK TIMES

Fewer and fewer nations are bidding for either the Summer or Winter Games. Eight potential hosts dropped out of the race for this years event, leaving Beijing to battle it out with Almaty in Kazakhstan, another nation known for its state-muzzled media and human rights abuses that have led to bloody revolts in recent weeks.

The Summer Games have fared little better. Five of the seven cities bidding for the 2024 iteration withdrew their bids, essentially gifting the Games to Paris, whose sole remaining rival, Los Angeles, was compensated with the staging rights for 2028.

That arrangement was hastily engineered by the International Olympic Committee due to the paucity of alternatives, as was the case with the subsequent event in 2032, which was offered to Brisbane, Australia, as it was the only viable option.

The root of the problem is that few today can afford to host the Games. The first time an Olympics turned any notable profit was 1984, when commercialization in the form of broadcasting rights, private investment and sponsorship deals enabled Los Angeles to deliver a surplus of $215 million.

The National Ski Jumping Center in Zhangjiakou, China | HANNAH MCKAY / REUTERS

After civil unrest forced Tehrans dropout, Los Angeles was the only option then, too, an outcome of Montreal 1976 suffering losses of $1.5 billion debt that took almost three decades to pay off.

And while LAs success in the 1980s led to an increase in wannabe hosts, most wound up like the Canadian city, drowning in red ink. Athens in 2004 overspent to such a degree that it sent Greece into economic meltdown, while a dozen years later Rio de Janeiros deficit topped $2 billion the largest to date.

Hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic, not to mention a disapproving public, Tokyo 2020 looks set to trump that. When final data is released in April, revenues are expected to be around half the officially stated $13.6 billion costs.

There was meaning to the Olympics until about 20 or 30 years ago, but the model has aged badly, says Ryu Honma, author of 2021s The Deadly Sins of the Tokyo Olympics, in which he argues vested interests and other little-reported issues brought actual costs for Tokyo 2020 to around 3.5 trillion ($30.3 billion). Theres no value in it now, especially for democratic nations.

The snowboarding events at the 2022 Beijing Olympics attracted an international broadcast audience, but the tangible benefits to the host country have been limited. | DYLAN MARTINEZ / REUTERS

An increasingly skeptical public is demanding change, he says, adding that negative polls can very quickly dampen any enthusiasm a city might have for hosting the event.

Indeed, according to a study from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany, only one of the 13 bids that dropped out of the running for Games to be held between 2022 and 2028 enjoyed support in referendums.

The essence of that outdated model comes in the form of appeals to the public to make sacrifices on the pretext of advancement, namely economic growth, says Kosuke Tomita, a researcher at Nippon Sports Science University.

If the argument is convincing, residents have traditionally turned a blind eye to any collateral damage the stripping of protected highlands for the 1972 Winter Games in Sapporo, or the forced relocation of 200 Tokyo households to make way for the New National Stadium in 2020 being two domestic examples, he adds.

Kosuke Tomita, a researcher at Nippon Sports Science University, says the IOCs outdated model for hosting the Olympics appeals to the public to make sacrifices on the pretext of advancement, namely economic growth. | ROB GILHOOLY

But the public wont accept this pretext anymore, says Tomita, who has penned several studies and books about the Olympics. Voices have increasingly been rising against it.

So loud have those voices become, that it is now increasingly difficult to see what the future holds for the Games, if indeed they have one.

The International Olympic Committee desperately wants to reverse the trend among democratic nations, which are seen as trustworthy custodians not least of all during difficult times such as pandemics, Tomita says.

Yet, motivated perhaps by those countries flitting interest in staging the events, the IOC has increasingly turned its attention to nondemocratic states.

Some believe a systematic rotation of the Games around previous hosts with suitable existing infrastructure could help reduce the costs borne by a single nation in future. | DENIS BALIBOUSE / REUTERS

According to the Mainz University study, the IOC has sought to actively strengthen its ties with autocratic regimes because, in addition to the absence of any public dissent, or cost concerns, it provides Games organizers with an insurance policy for times when there is no potential host from a democratic nation.

Despite the opposition and detrimental effects on its brand image keeping good working relations with authoritarian governments helps the IOC to secure the future of its main revenue driver, the Olympic Games, thus providing for its own future, the study states.

Tomita agrees, saying a shift of focus provides the IOC with numerous options many, but not all of them, in nondemocratic countries. This is exemplified by other sports such as soccer, whose flagship competition, the FIFA World Cup, will be held in Qatar later this year.

The subject of the Olympics having issues or having reached some kind of limit is a viewpoint expressed largely by developed nations that have been central to carrying the modern Olympics since their inception, Tomita says. But, if you look a little more globally, the Arab states, Africa and Southeast Asia are home to nations that still have room for growth, and mega-events such as the Olympics can be a way to help elevate them in the world.

Chinas government has so far disclosed little about the costs associated with hosting the Games, but analysts expect it to be at least $3 billion. | MARKO DJURICA / REUTERS

A downside of such an approach, Tomita argues, is that it would likely result in the perpetuation of the current system, delaying the implementation of any meaningful measures to tackle lingering issues, such as economic costs, social displacement and green washing.

The situation has already forced the IOC to react, rolling out recommendations in 2018 that it says could save host nations hundreds of millions of dollars.

It is a fundamental rethinking of the organization of future Games, IOC chief Thomas Bach stated on the organizations website. This will lead to a new norm from the candidature for and the delivery of the Games through to their legacy.

At the heart of the new recommendations is the reuse of existing facilities, plus the introduction of an Olympic TV station, an idea perhaps prompted by the $2.9 billion that was reportedly pocketed by U.S. broadcaster NBCUniversal for its coverage of the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium during the womens singles table tennis competition at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in July 2021. Fans were barred from the venues due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. | ALEXANDRA GARCIA / THE NEW YORK TIMES

The IOC says it has already begun part of this process in China, with the repurposing of some facilities used in 2008, but author Honma questions the sincerity of such proposals.

Tokyo 2020 officials, he notes, reversed similar plans to reuse existing facilities in favor of building seven new ones. The move more than doubled the original budget, and left behind a little-wanted legacy that could continue to cost taxpayers for years to come, he says.

Before the 1964 Olympics, they built a shinkansen line, metropolitan expressways and made other improvements that benefited everyone, even today, and contributed significantly to Japans growth, Honma says. Tokyo 2020 left behind no such thing. Despite saying otherwise, they created seven new venues, all but one of which is predicted to be in deficit to the tune of billions of yen per year.

A trampolinist competes in front of an empty stadium at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. | DOUG MILLS / THE NEW YORK TIMES

The oversized and difficult to repurpose New National Stadium alone will cost taxpayers 2 billion per annum, he says, adding such inconvenient truths have been little reported by Japans big five media outlets, all of which were among the 67 sponsors of the 2020 Games.

Critics of the Olympics have presented new ideas of their own, such as creating a permanent home for the event in Greece, which would serve both as a nod to its origins and a solution to the costly bidding wars that seem at odds with the Games underlying principle of global congregation.

Some believe a systematic rotation of the Games around previous hosts with suitable existing infrastructure could also provide an answer.

Others have even suggested spreading the economic burden of hosting the Olympics by holding the events in multiple locations every four years.

Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, does not believe that continuing to hold the Olympics the same way and on the same scale is sustainable in the future. | ROB GILHOOLY

Seiko Hashimoto, president of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee, agrees that change is needed, but that some essential ingredients will need to remain to ensure survival.

I dont think that continuing to do things the same way and on the same scale is a guarantee for the future, says Hashimoto, a former cyclist and skater who took part in seven Summer and Winter Olympics between 1984 and 1996.

But I think it also depends on how the host city or country views the Olympics and Paralympics, she says. If you want to spend more and more money on them, you can do so exhaustively, but a different direction would be to simply put all of your efforts into the sports themselves.

This, she said, would bring the events closer to their pre-1984, pre-commercialization roots.

I think we are already starting to see a move back in that direction, she says.

The Chinese flag is raised during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Games. The Olympic flame has been flickering unsteadily for some time, its longevity jeopardized by waning interest and rising dissatisfaction. | BRIAN SNYDER / REUTERS

Hashimoto recently returned from a field trip to Beijing, where she was struck by how the buoyant atmosphere contrasted with Tokyo 2020. Both were hit by the coronavirus pandemic, though the latter will be better remembered by disgruntled protesters right up to the closing ceremony, she says.

There was none of that in Beijing no protests, no criticism about costs, she says.

This probably says more about the perils of dissent in China, where activists were reportedly rounded up by authorities in the buildup to the Games, undesirable social media accounts closed and athletes warned against commenting on the nations dreadful human rights record.

Yet, it might also offer an insight into what the future has in store for the Games an all-smiles event held by authoritarian nations far away from the host city, using snow that isnt real on protected mountains where millions of trees have been cleared and transplanted elsewhere. Then again, it might all just go virtual, with esports coming to the rescue.

No matter what the situation is, no matter what form (the Olympics) takes, I think that people essentially want to see the potential of humanity through sports, Hashimoto says. As long as this aspect continues to appeal, I think the Olympics will live on.

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Almost four years ago, Phil Mickelson was a linchpin in golfs bizarre dip into the waters of pay-per-view television.

The event, called The Match, was a head-to-head match play event against one-time rival Tiger Woods for a mega purse of $9 million ($A12.5m).

It was hardly The Rumble in the Jungle.

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The showdown was awkward and slow with long walks up fairways jarring proof that one vs one golf is not exactly a triumph for broadcast television.

There was a tackiness, too, such as Mickelson baiting Woods into a $A280,000 side bet that he would birdie the first hole, and a $A420,000 wager on closest-to-the-pin at the 13th.

The only winner in the end was Mickelson, who defeated Woods in darkness after four playoff holes, and lost only one of five side bets.

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How golfs $2.9bn Saudi rebellion unravelled before our eyes

Egotistical Mickelson facing backlash over $3bn golf revolt

Its an event worth revisiting this week after Mickelson completed a full-scale heel turn that would make even the most villainous of wrestling stars blush.

On Thursday, the proposed $2.9bn Saudi-backed Super Golf League was all but certain to take off, posing a existential threat to the established PGA and European Tours.

But in the space of one four-day tournament on Americas west coast, the Saudi plan has unravelled spectacularly.

The splinter league is still set to be launched, but it could be dead on arrival with the biggest names in golf recommitting to the PGA Tour.

To be seen alongside Mickelson now is to commit some sort of brand reputation suicide.

The turning point was comments made by Mickelson that have been slammed as morally bankrupt, and breathtakingly greedy.

In remarks to biographer Alan Shipnuck, that were made public via the Fire Pit Collective website on Thursday, Mickelson acknowledged Saudi Arabias appalling human rights record, and cited the 2018 murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

He nonetheless expressed his desire to potentially join the breakaway tour the Saudis are bankrolling, merely to gain leverage against the PGA Tour.

Theyre scary motherf-----s to get involved with, Mickelson is quoted as saying.

We know they killed Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay.

Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.

The comments threaten to be a permanent stain on the legacy of the six-time major-winner.

Mickelsons golfing success long went hand-in-hand with his legendary appetite for gambling on-course.

The Match was the moment the two were married and, in a way, strangely celebrated.

But its clear at this stage in his career that Mickelson puts as much value on financial gain as he does winning and gamesmanship.

When Mickelson went on to clinch the 2021 PGA Championship from out of no where, there was a feeling that his legacy would be cemented in his longevity and major wins.

But his brazen willingness to associate with the Saudi regime in an attempt to strongarm the PGA Tour into making changes that would generate him greater wealth has, understandably, gone down like a lead balloon.

World No.8 Justin Thomas labelled Mickelsons comments as egotistical, while Rory McIlroy went a step further by calling them naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant.

Meanwhile, Golf Channel analyst Eamon Lynch said: I cannot think of a more morally bankrupt statement that any public figure could make.

Lynch later doubled down in a scathing column for USA Today, in which he said that Mickelson had brought himself and the Super Golf League to the brink of ruin.

An old adage holds that if you wait by the riverbank long enough, the bodies of your enemies will eventually float by, Lynch wrote.

Thats as good a metaphor as any for how some golf industry executives must have felt in the wake of recent comments by Phil Mickelson that incinerated his reputation, alienated most every constituency in the game, exposed him to disciplinary action, and otherwise cast him in a light so unflatteringly amoral that even Greg Norman might hesitate to be seen in his company.

He added: If hes assembling an army to go over the top with him (to the SGL), it is starting to resemble more a mangy assortment of moth-eaten veterans than an elite fighting force.

The charlatan Tour members involved in this scheme Mickelson and Norman chief among them have never been more isolated from their peers, never more exposed in their heartless opportunism, and never more lacking in public support.

Columnist for The Washington Post Jennifer Rubin was also scathing in her assessment, saying that Mickelson showed a breathtaking greed and unabashed sustain for others suffering.

Mickelsons Faustian bargain with the Saudis brought on a furious reaction because his reasoning was patently amoral and because the stakes for him (a new golf tournament for already rich and successful golfers) are pathetically small, Rubin wrote, while arguing he is not alone while citing political examples.

Meanwhile, Sky Sports' golf expert Rich Beem wrote in his own column that Mickelsons stance was confusing and he stood to make enemies of his colleagues.

Beem said it was confusing that Mickelson would not attempt to gain support from fellow players to rally against the PGA Tours stronghold of media rights and instead negotiate with a rival league .

Why go about this in a completely roundabout way and make it so controversial? Beem wrote. It doesnt make sense to me.

When they hear all this from Phil I think they are thinking why is he saying all this?

And without educating them, Phil is separating himself from the PGA Tour.

He may have just done so irreparably.

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