NBC Not Renewing Paul Azinger Signals Network's Golf Broadcasts Are Going To Somehow Get Worse

There is more to the story when it comes to Paul Azinger and NBC going their separate ways, and it is not good news for golf fans in the United States.

The surprise announcement from NBC came on Sunday that the former major winner would no longer be the lead golf analyst for the network, a position he's held since the Fall of 2018.

Azinger and his off-the-cuff style weren't for everyone, but whether you were a fan of his work in the booth or not, the details of how his split with NBC isn't exactly motivating stuff for anyone hoping the television network would take a step in the right direction in 2024.

READ: PAUL AZINGER WILL BE MISSED IN THE BOOTH

According to Sports Illustrated, Azinger wasn't fired, but was actually in the middle of negotiating a new one-year contract. The issue, as you would predict, was the money involved. According to the report, NBC asked Azinger to take a pay cut offering him less than the annual contract he signed five full years ago.

It's unclear how large said pay cut was, but typically us humans don't take kindly to being offered less money after working for a company for five years.

Paul Azinger is done at NBC. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

NBC Golf Broadcast Going Downhill In A Hurry

The writing on the wall for Azinger - as well as long-time NBC Golf Channel producer Brand Packer who was also let go - actually occurred over a year ago when the network split with analysts Roger Maltbie and Gary Koch.

There was also the fact that NBC didn't send a Golf Channel production staff to Italy for the 2023 Ryder Cup and did all of its work from its headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

Not having staff on the grounds of what most would say is golf's biggest sporting event - and you own and run a channel with the word 'golf' literally in it - was a questionable move from NBC.

Well, according to an unnamed source who spoke with SI, more of the same shenanigans are on the horizon.

“Everything they've done is to make the telecast less expensive,” the source said. “They're not out to make it better for the viewer. There are more commercials, they're cutting speed cameras, cutting drones, they don't have a blimp or an airplane for overhead shots.”

It goes without saying that it's incredibly unfortunate that multiple people, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, sound destined to lose their jobs. And as they go, it's more and more likely viewers will too.

Producers who love running commercials every 90 seconds will certainly still have a job with the network moving forward.

CBS has long had an edge over NBC's golf broadcast, and it appears the gap between the two is about to get that much wider.

Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris and email him at mark.harris@outkick.com