Hat Snatch Scandal: Polish CEO’s US Open Blunder Sparks Global Backlash

1 September 2025

Polish CEO Piotr Szczerek at the US Open. Credit : ESPN

When excitement soared at the U.S. Open after Polish tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s dramatic win, one impulsive moment beneath the stadium lights would soon overshadow the court. A video captured a striking scene: as Majchrzak appeared to hand his autograph-signed cap to a young fan, the boy’s grin crumbled when a man swooped in and took the hat instead, stuffing it into a bag. The child, named Brock, protested in heartbreak. That man was soon identified as Piotr Szczerek, the wealthiest CEO of Polish paving company Drogbruk. Moments later, the video set off a firestorm across social media.

Suddenly, Szczerek was branded “the most hated man on the internet.” His company’s reputation plummeted overnight, with one reviewer calling him a “sack of garbage.” Online backlash was nearly unanimous in its condemnation users flooded review sites, dropping Drogbruk’s ratings sharply.

Initially silent, Szczerek finally addressed the incident through a social media post on September 1. He admitted he had made “a serious mistake,” claiming he thought the hat was intended for his own sons, who had earlier asked for autographs. He said that in the emotionally charged moment following the victory, he believed the player was passing the hat to him. He described it as “a painful but necessary lesson in humility.”

But many remained unconvinced. Critics labeled his apology as tone-deaf and insincere, too little, too late. While he expressed remorse and returned the hat, skepticism lingered. Social media was unforgiving.

Amid the fallout, Majchrzak stepped into the fray, compassionate and proactive. He used social media to help locate Brock and arranged to meet him. In a touching moment captured online, the player met the boy, giving him a replacement cap and other memorabilia, beaming smiles lighting up both faces.

The strange saga planted one clear message, one viral video can shatter reputations and spark global moral outrage. Szczerek’s decades of goodwill and sponsorship in Polish tennis were blotted out in seconds. “Only through deeds can I rebuild the trust that has been lost,” he stated, pledging a renewed commitment to youth and anti-violence initiatives.

Yet even as he vowed to make amends, the public mood remained sharply critical. The hat snatch, caught in the glare of live broadcast and online virality, became a cautionary tale about behavior, privilege, and the speed of digital reckoning.