ESPN Facing Backlash For Playful Coverage Of The Masters

It's becoming very evident that ESPN missed the mark with its coverage of the 2026 Masters.

The main complaint golf fans have had this week is that Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce were heavily featured during Wednesday's telecast of the Par 3 Contest at Augusta National. To be fair, the former showed up as Bryson DeChambeau’s caddie.

"This is about having fun and showing what this great game can do for the world of golf," DeChambeau said. "I’m super excited to have Kevin out here. He’s only been playing for about seven months, so to get him out here and experiencing what Augusta National has to offer and the Masters has to offer, it’s pretty special for the Par 3 Contest."

DeChambeau may have enjoyed all the festivities at the Masters, but we can't say the same thing for ESPN's viewers.

"Hater and Losers of the Week nominee: ESPN (and Augusta if they approved) for letting Jason Kelce and Kevin Hart make a mockery of The Masters," one fan wrote on X. "What a joke."

"ESPN is messing up the Masters coverage with all this Kevin Hart and Jason Kelce bull---- this year," a second fan commented.

"I wish Augusta National would cut their contract with ESPN so Kevin Hart and the Kelce brothers don’t show up on our TV’s," a social media user added. "Makes no sense."

"ESPN WTF are you doing? Get rid of Kevin Hart and Kelce who have nothing to do with golf and add nothing but stupidity," another fan said. "It's Augusta not the WWE."

The Masters isn't just being aired on ESPN.

The early coverage of Thursday's opening round can be streamed on Prime Video. It wasn't until 3 p.m. ET that coverage shifted fully to ESPN.

Prime Video and ESPN will also split Friday's coverage of the Masters. The third and fourth rounds, however, will be available on Paramount+ and CBS.

Hopefully, these networks will keep the focus on the actual golf being played.