Vivek Ramaswamy attended Ohio’s opening game, but fans soon noticed what he was wearing: ‘A billionaire in a knockoff jersey’

The Republican nominee for Ohio governor, Vivek Ramaswamy, was in Columbus on Saturday for Ohio State’s home opener against Ball State. After the game, he posted photos on X that showed him greeting fans in the stands.

In that post, Ramaswamy wrote, “Great start to the season. Let’s go Bucks.” The Independent reported that the post reached about 3 million views and drew hundreds of comments.

The Independent pointed out that attention quickly turned to the jersey he had on. It was black and carried the Ohio State logo along with the number 1. The team’s official jerseys are red and have striped sleeves.

Online reaction centered on the jersey’s look and Ramaswamy’s reported fortune

People commenting on the post described the jersey as a “Temu knockoff,” the “generic CVS” version, and something “fresh off the rack at Walmart.” One person wrote, “I can’t vote for you with that jersey on I’m sorry man.”

Commenters also pointed to his estimated net worth of about $3 billion, according to Forbes. The article identified him as an Ohio native, a Harvard graduate, and the founder of a drug development company. He won the GOP primary in May and is the Trump-endorsed nominee.

One X user wrote, “You’re a billionaire, why don’t you own an officially licensed OSU jersey?”  Jersey controversies aren’t limited to the wealthy, as a Five Guys employee faced harassment from Knicks fans for wearing a Spurs jersey. Another wrote, “A billionaire in a knockoff jersey. That seems fitting.”

Other users noted that Ramaswamy appeared to have been at the U.S. Open in New York City the previous day. One commenter wrote, “This loser flies in late from NY tennis match, slaps on a $19.99 Walmart special OSU jersey, probably given to him by handlers, cuz, you know, optics, and does his kissing babies routine.”

Democratic nominee Amy Acton addressed her opponent in a Saturday social media post. She wrote, “Vivek Ramaswamy thinks he is too good to spend Labor Day Weekend in Ohio, instead jetting off in his private plane to watch the U.S. Open in VIP seating with his billionaire friends.”

Users also brought up a 2024 post in which Ramaswamy wrote that American culture venerates “mediocrity” over excellence. He wrote then, “A culture that celebrates the prom queen over the math olympiad champ, or the jock over the valedictorian, will not produce the best engineers.” One person wrote, “I thought celebrating sports was dumb?” Another added, “Man, mimicking the culture you mock… interesting.”

A portion of the replies defended him. One user wrote, “Hilarious how many people think claiming that Vivek’s jersey is ‘fake’ or ‘cheap’ is a gotcha.” Public figures’ attire at sporting events often draws scrutiny, as when Senator Mark Kelly posted a photo in a Mexico jersey at a World Cup watch party.   Another wrote, “THE next governor of O H I O! Ladies and gentlemen.”

Ramaswamy and Acton are scheduled to meet on the ballot on November 3. Polls indicate the race is expected to be close.