This weekend, the Netflix Slam showed that alternative sports broadcasts can succeed. The abbreviated (two sets + tiebreaker) match between Rafa Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz saw two of the top players in men’s tennis compete with nothing on the line. Unlike November’s Netflix Cup and some of the more convoluted editions of The Match, it absolutely ruled. The reason is simple: the Netflix Slam let the product speak for itself.

Last week’s edition of The Match had the lowest ratings in series history, but product-wise I found it to be one of the most interesting to date. It’s not complicated as to why: the telecast just showed golf shots. Like the Match at The Park, I highly doubt the Netflix Slam will do amazing numbers for the streaming giant. But for someone who is relatively new to tennis, it was tremendously enjoyable. Fairly quick and easy to consume, it crucially also felt like it mattered to the players. Alternative golf matches have tried to get too cute, bringing in off-course add-ons that just end up as distractions. The Netflix Slam was the opposite. There were serious people commentating — including Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick — and the two Spaniards clearly gave it their all while using the night to warm up for next week’s tournament at Indian Wells. To the uninitiated, this could have felt like a real tennis match. And that’s because, for all intents and purposes, it was.

Maybe this is how the Netflix Slam would have always looked and felt, sure. But maybe Netflix also learned from the mistakes it made during the Netflix Cup, focusing on the actual match instead of trying to entertain the tennis casuals. You don’t need DJ Khaled or Bert Kreischer or Jabbawockeez or Marshawn Lynch. Hell, you don’t even need real stakes. You just need genuine, easy to understand competition. Hopefully golf learns that lesson and steers more into the serious elements of the last Match, rather than chasing viewership figures via influencers or celebrities. If the product is real, fans will be there.

This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.