A US sports reporter is being hailed for her quick reflexes and professional aplomb after her live reporting was interrupted by an overzealous fan attempting to barge into her live cross.
CBS journalist Samantha Rivera was reporting live from Florida’s T-Mobile Arena, recapping game two of the NHL’s Stanley Cup finals in which the Las Vegas Knights beat the Florida Panthers 7-2 when the incident occurred.
Impressively, the fan barely made it on-screen before the ever-professional and smiling Rivera strong-armed the annoying spectator out of the shot saying, “Nope, nope, that’s the kind of fan you don’t want to be.”
The young journo later took to Twitter to lambast the marauding fan.
“Listen, I don’t give a damn what team you’re rooting for,” Rivera later tweeted, “get the hell out of my face when I’m working and respect that I’m here to do my job.
“Excited to get back home to some classy #Panthers fans for game 3!!” she added.
Listen, I don’t give a damn what team you’re rooting for – get the hell out of my face when I’m working and respect that I’m here to do my job.
Excited to get back home to some classy #Panthers fans for game 3!! pic.twitter.com/iWDQl0Rtvv
— Samantha Rivera (@JSamanthaRivera) June 6, 2023
Rivera’s actions were soon applauded by her social media fans.
“Didn’t even break eye contact. Smile didn’t falter for a second. Laid an NFL-grade stiff arm on a dude twice her size. The poise. The focus. I’m in awe. Hall of fame stuff,” one person posted
“I felt her arm in my SOUL,” said fellow journalist Tori Mason.
“This was somehow the most dominant showing of the night,” joked another. “He will never emotionally or physically recover from this.”
While another added: “She played better Defence than the Panthers tonight.”
