The real loser in the Brodie Smith, Maria Oliva Twitter exchange

This story is a tick …

It won’t die.

Unable to shut my face hole, I’ll drop my $0.02 on the matter.

If you’ve just come out of a coma, here’s the skinny of the situation …

Brodie Smith and Paul Ulibarri host a weekly podcast called “Tour Life.” On it, they discuss the current state of professional disc golf. To that end, their episodes often feature Pro Tour golfers. Coming off an impressive, third-place performance at the 2023 Cascade Challenge, Brodie wanted to invite Maria Oliva onto the show to discuss the current state of her game.

Also, she’d made some interesting comments on physical fitness and disc golf – good stuff.

Unable to reach Oliva with a DM on Instagram, he shot her a public invitation on Twitter:

Here’s the response that invite generated from Oliva:

Not exactly the most “Won’t you be my neighbor?” reply on Maria’s part.

* Note: Also, make of this what you will, as it adds yet another layer of intrigue – click here.

Disc golf Twitter had – and continues to have – a field day with this thing. As is the case with most disc golf-centric content on Twitter, there are largely two camps weighing in on the issue:

• Camp No. 1 – Those labeled “bros” by the community – they support Mr. Smith.
• Camp No. 2 – Those of a more “frolfer” mentality – they support Ms. Oliva.

Individually, I’d consider myself somewhere in the middle.

Sorry, Maria …

You’ve got egg on your face.

If you don’t want to go on a podcast, it’s not that big of a deal. Though I don’t know the guy personally, I’m confident Brodie would agree that it’s not your individual duty to be at his beck and call should he need a last-minute podcast guest. But in a space as public (and hostile) as Twitter, if you’ve convinced yourself your response was normal, you’re sorely mistaken.

Decline the invite. Move along.

But without the theatrics.

You know who REALLY comes out on the bottom of this middle-school drama, though?

I’ve put together a list for you:

• KAVU
• ThrowJoes
• Infinite Discs
• Thought Space Athletics

Or in other words …

Maria Oliva’s sponsors.

The very companies who fund her touring efforts.

Seriously, have you ever heard of KAVU or ThrowJoes before?

Appearing on a podcast is a mutually beneficial (and clout-building) experience. For the host, producers and finance guys in the background, it’s content – the stuff that feeds the machine. And for the guest, it’s a sweet opportunity to expand reach, move inventory or promote …

*** Clears Throat ***

Sponsors.

You might take the “any press is good press” stance on all of this or perhaps focus on the interminable buzz her Karen-esque conduct’s generated – heck, I’m talking about it, right?

But all she’s really done is further bolster her reputation with the “frolfer” community and lost the respect of the “bros” who were potentially open to following her game more closely …

And buying her stuff.

Caught in the crossfire of such behavior are the brands that took a chance on an FPO athlete who’s still got mountains to move to even be mentioned in the same breath as Kristin Tattar.

Talk about a missed opportunity – it’s a shame.

And a lame one, at that.

Have anything to add? Take to Twitter to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.

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