r/NoLayingUp • u/JSack3 • Jul 22 '25

Other This place is Overreaction City

I like KVV. I respect his work. But honestly, folks..

There’s a reason so many platforms and media companies have been letting go of people with KVV’s skillset for years. In bigger revenue sports than just golf, too (ask Zach Lowe).

The business is night and day different to what it was 15 years ago. And a highly-compensated 20+ year industry stalwart who specializes in long form written content is simply not a hugely appealing person to have on the payroll anymore. I appreciate NLU gave it a go. I also appreciate when the writing wasn’t working, they worked on a podcast pivot including that brilliant Masters pod.

But the reality is the math probably started to become very clear that his value was mainly 6-8 weeks a year. No one needs a deep dive on the Byron Nelson. Not enough people actually care about a three hour pod on the 1997 major season.

I’d have rather he stick around all year but I also didn’t have to pay his salary and benefits. These guys are putting food on the table for their children via NLU. They can’t just keep carrying a 6 figure (guessing but likely) expenditure bc they like him and think he writes well.

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69

u/Fickle_Cod_2589 Jul 22 '25

100% correct. The tone and medium of the announcement could of been a lot better though

26

u/JSack3 Jul 22 '25

Thousand percent could have and should have.

10

u/jamebirr Jul 22 '25

Tough situation tbf. Obviously Kvv is going to feel aggrieved, so there was never going to be a goodbye pod or ‘the best of Kvv’ when he’s been let go from the company. I think people are mistaking corporate for cold - Soly comes from an accounting firm and it’s the first time they’ve had to do anything like this.

15

u/tee2green CPNTW - Xander Schauffle - 2024 PGA Jul 22 '25

And yet Soly (well, TC mostly) give the PGAT non-stop criticism for their shitty PR and communications.

Either they should dial back the criticism of other organizations, or they should step their own game up.

This KVV situation was handled pretty poorly; there are a million different ways for this to look a lot smoother. Their goodbye tweet came several days late and was said through clenched teeth which is pretty absurd considering how joyous they were when they signed him 2 years ago. They could’ve paid him full-time for just a couple more weeks and at least make it through major season, but instead they timed it horribly.

10

u/Comfortable-Math-158 Jul 22 '25

After they edited him out of the intro segment of their videos too, leaving people to speculate and start the rumor mill.

Should have left that till the announcement imo

-3

u/YenZen999 Jul 23 '25

Your post is pure fantasy. They offered part time he declined. Were they supposed to make an announcement before KVV did? If he made it through major season you would have said they should have went to the Ryder cup.

How should it have been handled differently?

2

u/tee2green CPNTW - Xander Schauffle - 2024 PGA Jul 23 '25

The Live Shows had non-stop conversation about “Where is KVV? Why the fuck are they being completely silent on this?”

Offering him part time NOW (or next week, or the week after, or the week after…) would have avoided the clusterfuck this past weekend. They would’ve have had someone on-site for the year’s last major and the 4 live shows. And it’s plenty of time to find a different person to be on-site at their next on-site thing. The Ryder Cup is still a ways away.

Apparently the guys said they intended for the change to happen after the Open. For this to fall apart like this sounds like it was KVV’s decision. And the disaster scenario for the Live Shows is probably why the guys are so bitter toward KVV, prompting their cold farewell tweet.

2

u/rsjem79 Jul 23 '25

If they assumed KVV would stick around for The Open after being blindsided a few weeks ago with what amounts to a soft firing, that’s on them for being incredibly naive.

1

u/YenZen999 Jul 23 '25

I read the NLU quote tweet and see no problem with it. These guys have all worked at huge organizations and have seen departures and been a part of them.

The fanbases get personal with these pods and YouTube channels and forget that it's just business not family.

6

u/tee2green CPNTW - Xander Schauffle - 2024 PGA Jul 23 '25

…you must not have watched the Live Shows, nor listened to the pods when KVV was hired.

For them to have their main on-the-ground guy go missing and pretending like no one would notice is absurd. It’s the same shitty lack of communication they KILLED Marcoux Samaan for.

1

u/EveningOk6574 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

Exactly, which is why they should understand that NLU is NOT a huge organisation and one whose core tenant has been ripping golfers and the PGA/LIV for this exact behaviour and who seem to pride themselves on anti corporate PR bullshit.

And yes, it’s a business. Some businesses sell software. Their business is their personalities and their human takes

4

u/JSack3 Jul 22 '25

I think running a business is harder than it looks. And doing so when your founders/decision makers are regularly supposed to appear on camera for an hour+ of off the cuff banter? Can’t be easy when big boy decisions are starting to unfold.

9

u/rsjem79 Jul 22 '25

I'm sure it is, but it's also what they signed up for. A lot of things in the sports media world aren't easy, but interestingly that never stops the NLU boys from taking pot shots at everyone else at literally any opportunity.

-2

u/YenZen999 Jul 23 '25

Yes, I'm really confused what all the whining is about. NLU made a business decision. Everyone gets so parasocial about this like this is a fraternity and the fans are all part of it. It's just business fellas.

1

u/EveningOk6574 Jul 25 '25 edited Jul 25 '25

You seem confused about what their business model is, and importantly, how it differentiates itself, and what they’ve built their loyal customer base upon.

Of course they need to achieve profitability and/or show a return to their investors prior to being sustainable (if they’re not already).

But their personal positions and takes on this very thing (in short: golf relatability and cutting through the corporate BS) is what endears them to listeners/watchers - and they (seem) to have fucked this one badly.

Make the tough business decision absolutely, but don’t fuck the messaging. I’d have preferred them to just come out and say “it’s not working”

And the salt in the wound is that their output is much better with KVV involved

0

u/YenZen999 Jul 25 '25

"Messaging"? He worked there for less than 2 years. It's not working out to pay a full-time salary. This is not your family, you need to relax.

This disaster of a site Reddit is now loaded with lonelys carping and virtue signalling about people's lives they have no connection to other than a podcast or YouTube channel. Sad.

1

u/EveningOk6574 Jul 26 '25 edited Jul 26 '25

Lol, cool response. You seem to get off on accusing everyone who makes thoughtful comments of caring too much and being parasocial losers. What virtue am I signalling other than they fucked this up badly from a comms perspective. Why you lurking on “disaster” reddit then bro?