ESPN Reporter Gets in Marching Band’s Way

The field show must always go on, whether it’s a reporter, camera person, or judge standing in your way! ESPN sideline reporter Laura Rutledge was nearly trampled by the University of Louisiana – Lafayette Marching Band during their pregame field entrance.

Thankfully no one was hurt, but the look of surprise on Rutledge’s face is pretty comical for anyone who’s tried to march their drill with someone else in the way.

From ESPN’s behind the scenes blog:

“I just kept telling myself to stand my ground but I was getting knocked around by quite a few tubas trying to get out of there.”

Stand her ground she did and Rutledge didn’t miss a beat in sharing – of all things – the story of the Red Wolves’ propensity for trick plays.

“My husband [Josh Rutledge, a Colorado Rockies infielder] texted me after and said he could see the fear in my eyes,” Rutledge said. “In the future I will always ask about the path of the band for those game opens. Normally you just worry about the team run out but as we have all seen, the band can be just as dangerous!”

Check out the video below:

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The Big Event

Musings by Christine Ngeo Katzman, Halftime Magazine publisher and editor-in-chief. In this issue: the impact that can be felt when attending or hosting events.