CBS Miami’s Samantha Rivera is the best for this one
The world of television journalism is a treacherous beast. You spend your entire college career getting really good at being able to not only talk in front of a camera, but do it in such a manner that people want YOU delivering their news, rain or shine.
However, the struggle of delivering the news gets compounded in sports, because you gotta deal with fans leaving the stadium who might have had a few too many drinks, or just want to be rowdy in general. This is the case with CBS Miami’s Samantha Rivera after the Florida Panthers’ Game 2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. Rivera was doing a live recap of the play, when a rowdy Knights fan tried to interrupt her spot.
Now, there are a few options here for a TV journalist in this case:
Let the dude hijack the spot, while you try and report alongside him.
Let the dude hijack the spot, and wait until he finishes.
GIVE THAT MAN THE NASTIEST STIFF ARM OF ALL TIME
Talking about Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, stiff-arming a fan trying to get on camera and getting into the highlights.
Quite the display of multitasking by Samantha Rivera of CBS Miami pic.twitter.com/yvP8C3V4BS
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 6, 2023
Rivera not only kept the man out of the TV spot, but she also was able to keep eye contact with the camera and remain composed. She even added in a few “nope’s” to shut down the Knights fan even harder. The most impressive thing here is the repeated stiff arms that she gave this dude. This is a total shutdown, a masterclass in hand placement and flashes a little bit of power as well. I’d have her as a first round pick with that stiff arm.
Salute to Rivera, who made the incredibly difficult, look easy.
