The Cup Is Gold At The Masters

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↵To the right is the cup that fans typically get when they buy drinks at the Masters. I believe the sports industry calls them “collectors cups,” which is sports marketing slang for “fancy trash.”↵↵These cups are gold to people here. I know because I have one from the 2000 Masters and I don’t let visitors to my home drink out of it. Sometimes I let my wife use it, but only after explaining its importance. She usually loses interest halfway through and grabs another cup.↵

↵↵I consider my cup important because I got it during my first and only trip, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever go again. However, people here collect these things like a squirrel gathers nuts. I saw one woman standing next to a trash can retrieving people’s cups. One accidentally dropped out of a kid’s cargo shorts pocket and a man waited until he passed before picking it up and claiming it as his own. I saw a man trash a cup, and someone 20 feet away yell “CUP” to one of her friends, who promptly ran to the bag and picked out the cup.↵

↵↵Here’s my problem. For $1 you can buy a cup, with a soft drink. For $2 you can even get one with beer. Someone is actually auctioning their cup off on eBay right now.↵

↵↵Augusta National: Where our trash is your gold.↵

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