In fairness, some in the media have chided Mickelson, because he’s arguably the biggest name in the tournament field. But those criticisms have been mild compared with the vitriol directed at LeBron James, after the Los Angeles Lakers forward called Morey “misinformed” for cheering the Hong Kong protesters’ fight for independence and democracy. James was called a “coward” and an “embarrassment,” and Hong Kong protesters burned his jersey.

James’s comments were cringe-worthy. Yet his tone was not nearly as unapologetic, politically apathetic, or insulting as the statements made by some of the golfers playing in Saudi Arabia in January.

During an exchange on Twitter with a user who questioned him for playing in Saudi Arabia, Mickelson replied, “I understand those who are upset or disappointed. You’ll be ok. I’m excited to experience this for the first time.” When Ewan Murray, the golf correspondent for The Guardian, challenged his decision to play in the Saudi tournament, Mickelson dismissed the criticism with a line he attributed to the comedian Kevin Hart: “You do you booboo, cuz ima do me.”

It was a tone-deaf way to address a serious situation. Mickelson also has tried to rationalize playing in Saudi Arabia by calling it an opportunity to “grow the game” of golf. But it looks more like an opportunity for Mickelson to grow his bank account. In part because of the negative social and political implications, Tiger Woods twice turned down offers of about $3 million just to appear in the Saudi tournament, ESPN has reported. Imagine what Mickelson must be getting paid to attend. Woods is not known for taking political stands, so the fact that he even considered it troublesome to play in Saudi Arabia speaks volumes.

Last January, several of the world’s top golfers played in the Saudi event just a few months after the Washington Post contributing journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered. The United Nations later determined that Khashoggi, an extremely vocal critic of the Saudi regime, was “the victim of a deliberate, premeditated execution, an extrajudicial killing for which the state of Saudi Arabia is responsible.”

The Saudi monarchy’s involvement in the killing left the pro golfer Dustin Johnson unfazed. “Obviously, that was a concern with our team. I’m going over there to play a sport I’m paid to play. It’s my job to play golf,” he told reporters before appearing in the event last year. Referring to Khashoggi’s death, he continued, “Unfortunately, it’s in a part of the world where most people don’t agree with what happened, and I definitely don’t support anything like that. I’m going to play golf, not support them. I’m not a politician. I play golf.”

Had James or any other NBA player embraced money over moral responsibility as boldly as Johnson or Mickelson did, the castigation would have been severe and unrelenting.