You thought it was over. You thought KMARK golfed off into the Scottish Sunset never to return. How wrong! He’s back on the keys. After a few transcendent experiences, KMARK is stateside ready to unleash content the depths you’ve never read before. In all seriousness, to my Accountability Community here, I should’ve posted more. My fault, hand up. I hope this locker room holds me to a higher standard. This week is cookin with SPORTS. Let’s dive in…

Two Finals plus the US Open. In the NBA, fans, commissioners, television executives are lamenting that this Final lacks storyline. Sure, it’s two small markets both competing for their first championship. Did anyone see game 1 though? We’re a week (or two) away from losing basketball for months. Don’t miss these games. Such a healthy postseason. It’d be a shame to not see how it ends.

The hockey world has no such problem. Connor McDavid is in his Peyton Manning moment. He’s the singular best hockey player ever to not have a Stanley Cup. Down 2-1 to defending champs (and tax cheats!) Florida Panthers, can he rebound and bring the Cup back to Canada?

Speaking of Storylines….can we shut up about how hard Oakmont is? Can we please stop showing groundcrews mowing the rough? Scott Scheff is chasing his first US Open title. Bryson is defending. Rory is coming off his Players/Masters victories. Talk about that.

The NBA Finals are not the Super Bowl. Separate any comparison between the two. The Super Bowl is a National Holiday with two weeks of buildup compressed into 3 hours. The country shuts down for those three hours on a Sunday in February because why the hell not? To ask the NBA to produce two weeks of Super Bowl level intrigue across 5, 6, or 7 games is unfair. But if you feel like the NBA Finals is disproportionately unexciting, you might not be wrong.

Here’s the List of Gripes shared by the NBA Community so far:

- The Finals don’t feel Finals enough (to the extent that the NBA is superimposing the championship trophy on the court after missing it game 1).

- These teams weren’t showcased enough during the regular season, but the Celtics, Lakers, and Knicks were.

- SGA isn’t an interesting superstar.

- Other people don’t care, so why should I? (ratings down 24%)

The list goes on and on. Most gripes are uncorrectable. It’s not SGA’s fault that he doesn’t generate news like Charles Barkley. Why would he want to? But is there a silver bullet that can elevate the sport’s championship consistently without having to inorganically just feature the largest stars and media markets (no). Let’s propose one idea:

Neutral Site Finals

Sure, sure it borrows from the NFL. We were supposed to avoid that. It robs home court advantage (which doesn’t exist anymore) of teams that reach the Finals. Fans would have to travel to watch their favorite stars. All valid. I’m not taking a position on this proposal, but it is one I could see gaining steam.

For some reason, the NBA consistently looks to European Soccer as it shining global example of sports business. Adam Silver is proposing an NBA Europe. He’s been the driving force behind the World Cup of Basketball despite NBA players competing in the Olympics. NBA players shuffle teams like soccer superstars. KMARK goes to Europe (Scotland?) once and comes back flying with soccer takes.

Would the NBA consider a neutral site final similar to the Champions League (or World Cup)? What excites me about this idea that flies in the face of my patriotism? For one, NBA arenas are so homogeneous that the only exciting television enhancement teams can think of is to give everyone the same stupid t-shirt and mandate they wear it. The NBA suffers from a real lack of Crowd/Stadium shot that baseball enjoys. Consider the sweeping shots of Dodger Stadium, Fenway, or any MLB ballpark. Consider the flyovers during the Super Bowl. How creative could the NBA get for an NBA Finals? I’ve seen college games played on naval aircraft carriers. Could be chill! Would the takeover of an entire city for two weeks generate enough juice and local flair to capture Casual Viewers?

Whatever the solution, if I’m writing about it, then Adam Silver is thinking about it. For now, get gassed up about Pacers-Thunder live from Gainbridge Fieldhouse!

In Scotland, every course is “private”. That said, the golfing public is free to play. If you go with a member, you pay a significantly discounted rate. If you don’t, you pay full retail, tee times are a bit more limited, and you don’t get a locker, access to tournaments, or some of the other member privileges. Altogether, it’s an amazing setup. Everyone can play world class golf. Clubs subsidize their expenses.

Luffness New GC is the exception to that rule. It’s a full private club that you must play with a member. Ya gotta know a guy, know what I’m sayin? Fortunately, we were treated by an amazing member (let’s call him Big Scot) to a Monday morning 18.

Luffness is posh. You won’t find dirt under any fingernails. To join, you need a sponsor, board recommendation, and 10 letters addressing your good standing. Who let this guy (me) in? It’s home to an infamous Sunday Roast lunch. Tie and jacket required in the clubhouse.

For all that glamour, Big Scot could not have been a more welcoming host. He treated us Young Blokes to the customary post round G&T, a white Burgundy with lunch (soup plus tea sandwiches), and the club’s signature digestif. All the golf prior was pristine.

The first hole is well bunkered. Four horizontal pot bunkers greet your second shot in front of the green. The course winds next to Gullane’s other tracts, has views out to Kilspindie, and features a gentle climb up a small hill overlooking the coast. It’s a course that begs for a match. The greens are so pure that all putts want to go in even if they rarely do. Luffness is clean as a whistle, but has all the tricks necessary to give it a little grit.

What I’ll remember most is the hospitality afforded us. Big Scot showed three kids he’d never met a round they won’t forget. If he ever needs a letter of recommendation, I’d be the first to write it.