Golf Fans Turn On ESPN Reporter For Wearing Jordans With His Suit At The Masters: “Straight To Jail”

Quinn Eaton·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Marty Smith
ESPN

If we’ve learned anything this past week, it’s that golf fans are pretty particular about their fashion.

Which in their defense, Masters week is just a different beast. There’s just something about the major championship held at Augusta National Golf Club that ups the level of expectation. That means that golf fans expect to see the world’s best golfers compete at a high level, and they hold media members covering the tournament to a high standard as well.

And fashion has been a big topic during the Masters, all thanks to an amateur by the name of José Luis Ballester that didn’t make it to the weekend. The Spanish amateur golfer is the reigning U.S. Amateur Champion, and shot 10-over-par during Masters debut, missing the cut after the first two rounds. Ballester is a senior at Arizona State University, and because he won the U.S. Am last summer, he earned an invitation to play at the prestigious Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

That potential career highlight quickly turned into a turmoil-filled trip for the golfer that was one of five amateurs invited to the tournament. Not only did the 21-year-old pee in Rae’s creek during his first round, he also decided to wear an upside down “Sun Devils” text hat during his first time at the Masters, and people hated it:

José Luis Ballester might have missed the cut at the Masters, but he’s still winning off the course, as people found out when someone tracked down his girlfriend.

But anyways, now that he’s no longer competing at Augusta National Golf Club, golf fans had to find someone else to direct their anger at. Who ended up being that punching bag? It was none other than ESPN’s Marty Smith. Typically, I’m a big fan of the “Marty Party.” His country twang and outgoing personality can make even the most mundane sports topics interesting.

But just as golf fans got upset about the amateur golfer wearing his upside down text hat, many on social media hated that Marty Smith paired his navy suit with color-corresponding Jordan sneakers. The fashion trend has become more and more common in recent years – especially with those covering or coaching sports. However, one fan didn’t think it was a respectful fashion choice for the prestigous tournament:

“Jordans with a suit at Augusta. Straight to jail. Are you 6 years old? Did mommy dress you this morning after she changed your diaper?”

I doubt Marty Smith thought wearing sneakers with his suit would be such a big deal.

Personally, I don’t think wearing sneakers with a suit is all that controversial, but the X post got a TON of comments. I tend to dress for comfort above anything else, so a pair of sneakers with a suit isn’t the end of the world.

But as I’ve alluded to throughout this story, it seems like most golf fans didn’t feel the same way:

Hopefully Marty can let those comments roll right off his back.

Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose and Scottie Scheffler are all currently battling it out for a green jacket, and it’s glorious.

Golf fans are preparing themselves for quite the finish on Masters Sundays thanks to all of the action that’s currently taking place during “Moving Day.”

And on that note:

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