What's happened
The 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black drew attention for its high costs, rowdy spectators, and celebrity involvement. Attendees faced steep prices for tickets, food, drinks, and transportation, with reports of drunkenness and disorder. Celebrities like Colin Jost and Eli Manning participated, highlighting the event's mix of sport, spectacle, and excess. Today's date: Sat, 04 Oct 2025 12:58:18 +0100.
What's behind the headline?
The Ryder Cup's 2025 edition exposes the widening gap between the event's image and its reality. While marketed as a prestigious sporting occasion, it has become a spectacle of excess, driven by high ticket prices and luxury amenities. Corporate sponsors like BMW, Rolex, and Citi leverage the event for networking, often at the expense of the average attendee's experience. The reports of drunkenness and disorder, including spectators passing out and fighting, reveal a decline in the event's decorum, contrasting sharply with its traditional reputation for class. The astronomical costs of transportation, food, and drinks—highlighted by Uber fares reaching over $1,000 and drinks costing up to $32—underscore the commercialization and exclusivity that now define the Ryder Cup. Celebrity participation, such as Colin Jost and Eli Manning, adds a layer of entertainment but also emphasizes the event's shift toward a celebrity-driven spectacle rather than pure sport. This trend suggests the Ryder Cup will continue to attract wealthy patrons and corporate interests, potentially alienating the traditional golf fan base and raising questions about the event's cultural and sporting integrity. The next steps will likely involve further commercialization, with costs rising and spectator behavior possibly deteriorating further, unless organizers implement stricter controls to preserve the event's reputation. Overall, the 2025 Ryder Cup exemplifies how major sporting events are increasingly becoming arenas for spectacle and status, often at the expense of the sport itself.
What the papers say
The coverage from Business Insider UK highlights the high costs and commercial nature of the Ryder Cup, emphasizing the luxury amenities and networking opportunities that dominate the event. They note the steep ticket prices, expensive food and drinks, and the presence of corporate hospitality tents that cater to the wealthy. The article also mentions the disorderly behavior of spectators, including drunkenness and fights, which contrasts with the event's traditional image of decorum. Meanwhile, the NY Post provides a more vivid picture of the chaos, with reports of spectators passed out on the course, urinating in bottles, and engaging in fights. They also detail the exorbitant Uber fares, with prices reaching over $1,000, and the drunken antics of attendees, suggesting a decline in the event's decorum and class. Both sources agree that the Ryder Cup has shifted from a prestigious sporting event to a spectacle of excess, driven by commercial interests and celebrity involvement. The contrast lies in the tone: Business Insider UK focuses on the costs and networking, while the NY Post emphasizes the disorder and unruly behavior, painting a comprehensive picture of the event's current state.
How we got here
The Ryder Cup, a biennial golf tournament between Europe and the US, took place at Bethpage Black in Long Island in 2025. Known for its passionate crowds and high-profile sponsorships, the event has grown into a status symbol for corporations and wealthy spectators. Ticket prices and associated costs have surged, reflecting its commercial appeal and cultural significance, especially with celebrity involvement and extensive media coverage.
Go deeper
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The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is contested every two years with the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe.
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Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, in the northeastern United States.