Self-canceling, a primer

 Webb Simpson is a PGA golfer and FOP (Friend of Phil), and he's just as cute as all get out. The Blob was cruising its usual Sportsball sites the other day, and up popped a piece on ESPN by Mark Schlabach and Keith Van Valkenburg, in which good ol' Webb took his hacks at our so-called "cancel culture."

"If you say one thing, or somebody digs up something from your past, they cancel you," Simpson said, referring to Phil Mickelson's continued absence from the PGA Tour. "... Yeah, there should be consequences for when we screw up, but I don't think it should be as much as we've seen where it's like 'Hey, you're out. You're gone.'"

OK, first off: Ol' Webb, like so many who like to invoke the term "cancel culture" these days, tends to exaggerate for effect. Because it sure seems like an awful lot of the so-called canceled are still out there in the public sphere, if only to complain about being canceled.

Second off: But he's not entirely wrong. The pendulum has swung from no consequences for saying and doing vile things to people losing their jobs for making off-color jokes in mixed company. And that's just silly.

But ... but ...

But Phil Mickelson is not a victim of cancel culture.

That's because no one has canceled Lefty but Lefty.

He skipped the Masters on his own hook, and now he's skipping the PGA this week, even though he's the defending champion. No one told him he had to. No one told him he wasn't welcome. In fact, everyone's bummed he's not going to defend his title this week.

This is not cancel culture. This is just Phil being gutless.

According to those close to him, he doesn't want to face the jackal media, which will surely ask him uncomfortable questions about his comments regarding the Saudi-backed LIV golf tour. Yeah, the Saudis are butchering scum, he acknowledged. But, sure, he'll take their money, on account of  he's mad at the PGA.

As moral bankruptcy goes, that's about as bankrupt as it gets.

Better to have followed the example of Jack Nicklaus, who says he was offered $100 million to be the face of the LIV tour. The Golden Bear told the sheikhs to take a hike.

Phil could have taken a lesson. Greg "Mistakes Were Made" Norman, too.

Now Norman's having to defend doing business with the Saudis at every turn, as well he should. And Phil's canceling himself until further notice.

Neither are victims of anything. Except themselves.