The area of sports never has been safe from cancel culture, and as a matter of fact, many argue that sports and athletes are the main victims of cancel culture.
An ESPN reporter, who was fired after a video surfaced of her shooting expletives at another journalist, is now clapping back trying to save what was an illustrious career on a fast upward trajectory.
ESPN baseball reporter Marly Rivera was caught on video arguing with another journalist, Ivón Gaete, ahead of an Angels and Yankees game. Apparently, Rivera had a pre-scheduled interview already set up with MLB superstar Aaron Judge, while Gaete was trying to jump in for an interview with him. Gaete was in town to cover Angels star Shohei Ohtani because she was on assignment for Tokyo Broadcasting.
Reporting is a very competitive business, but there is also etiquette and unwritten rules. When a reporter has a pre-scheduled situation with a subject, it’s not another reporter’s place to hi-jack the interview. If it’s an open forum press conference or an impromptu situation, that’s a bit different.
Marly Rivera Lost Her Cool In The Heat Of Competition
Now, once this does happen, it can be dicey.
After feeling disrespected when Gaete ignored her, Rivera walked away, but not before she muttered the words “F–king C–t” at the journalist. That whole ordeal was caught on camera and found its way all over the internet and to ESPN.
ESPN fired Rivera for the altercation and the words she used toward Gaete, but this wasn’t the end of it for Rivera.
While all ESPN had to say about Rivera was “She no longer works here,” according to the New York Post, Rivera had more to say via social media when she personally responded to the situation that happened with Gaete.
“There were extenuating circumstances but that in no way is an excuse for my actions. I am a professional with a sterling reputation across baseball and I do believe that I am being singled out by a group of individuals with whom I have a long history of professional disagreements.”
Though she later apologized to Gaete for her actions, Gaete did not accept it.
Furthermore, Rivera felt that there were larger pieces at play in this situation, which led to her firing from ESPN after working there for 13 years.
Is Rivera A Victim Of Past Beef And Family Ties? What Happened Between Her And Gaete?
Gaete is the wife of John Blundell, vice president of Communications for MLB.
According to Rivera, she and Blundell have had some disagreements in the past, which she believes played a huge part in her being abruptly fired from her job even though she was a serious figure in the MLB world.
Even though Rivera has apologized to Gaete and has issued a statement regarding the video of her hurling insults, this will undoubtedly do permanent damage to her career, especially because her outburst was done in total disregard for the children that Judge was signing autographs for. Also, she was a face for an entire ethnicity of reporters and worked closely with the growing legion of Hispanic ballplayers throughout MLB.
She had a very important, prominent and pressure-filled position. The battle to stay on top when you have reached the height of your profession is filled with ups and downs. And sometimes — if you think Rivera was the one that crossed the line — too much entitlement. Her social media posts have come off as genuine, but the damage is done.
Should Rivera Have Lost Her Job?
ESPN certainly thought so and, in this age, where everything goes viral immediately, she didn’t have a chance to bring perspective to the situation or defend herself. Maybe the relationship between Gaete and her executive husband played a part in it, but a professional line was crossed, and Rivera will have to pay the consequences of losing her coveted spot on ESPN.
However, she isn’t the first, and a talented and connected reporter like Marly should land on her feet. Maybe a little vacation is exactly what she needed to bring some joy back to the job.
