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Kenny Mayne made a name for himself at ESPN with the irreverent sense of humor that made him one of the network’s most entertaining personalities. However, he is under the impression that his comedic sensibilities led to him being hit with a lifetime ban at Augusta National after cracking a relatively harmless joke about The Masters.
You can’t talk about ESPN’s Golden Era without discussing the humor that permeated the network’s coverage in the 1990s and early 2000s. That includes the hilarious This is SportsCenter commercials that marketed the network’s flagship program, and anchors including Dan Patrick, Scott Van Pelt, and Kenny Mayne were known for their ability to elevate their coverage with their wry commentary.
The last man on that list was also responsible for a number of remote segments where he was really able to flex his comedic chops, none of which spring to mind quicker than the time he headed to an Applebee’s in Buffalo with Marshawn Lynch.
His particular brand of humor was a bit of an acquired taste, and it sounds like the powers that be at Augusta National were not fans based on what he had to say about the backlash he received to a joke he made about The Masters.
Kenny Mayne believes a joke about The Masters led to him being banned from Augusta National for life
Augusta National Golf Club seems to pride itself on its stuffy reputation, as the wildly exclusive course that serves as the site of The Masters is known for governing its hallowed grounds with an iron fist while going to great lengths to prevent any riffraff from unfolding on them.
Spectators are expected to abide by a number of rules if they’re lucky enough to make the pilgrimage to The Masters, and the people who cover the tournament are ordered to refer to those fans as “patrons” while adhering to a number of other requirements on the verbiage front.
During a recent appearance on the God Bless Football podcast, Mayne revealed the guard at Augusta National is also monitoring what members of the media are saying at other events, and he’s under the impression he’s still a persona non grata due to a joke he made when he was still working for ESPN.
Mayne recalled what went down after he decided to make a lighthearted crack about The Masters while covering The Players Championship, saying:
“I’m banned for life from Augusta, I think. I was banned by ESPN. I don’t know about Augusta, maybe they think I’m an OK guy now.
I used to cover golf. I used to do TPC Sawgrass and I did the U.S. Open… At TPC one year, I just made some smartass comment about ‘We’ll see you at The Masters, where we bring four saucy ladies out to play’ or something stupid, right? Mentioning I’m bringing women to play golf.
They called into the ESPN truck. We’re still on the air, and people at Augusta literally somehow have the inside number to the truck, and they’re like, ‘He is not coming!’ I was never invited to go.”
There is some context needed here, as The Masters was aired commercial-free in 2003 and 2004 after Augusta National declined to cave to pressure to allow female members (it welcomed the first ones into the fold in 2012).
It’s also worth noting Mayne admitted he isn’t sure if he’s actually banned for life, but it doesn’t sound like he’s holding his breath when it comes to being welcomed.