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CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis returned to her hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, after covering the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Texas. Shortly after arriving, she joined a local line dancing class.
Balionis shared a glimpse of her dance session on Instagram, captioning the story:
"Line dancing lessons to start the day. I love being home."
Her journey back home also included an unexpected encounter. During her flight, two kittens escaped their crate and made their way to her seat. Balionis shared the moment on her Instagram story with her 350K followers, writing:
Trending
"You guys. 2 kittens escaped their crate on my flight. I got to keep one for the ride😂🥹."
She followed up with a boomerang featuring one of the kittens, adding:
"I had as much chill as you'd think I would have😂."
Balionis is known for sharing behind-the-scenes moments from her professional life with her followers. She is expected to travel to Ohio next for the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday.
Amanda Balionis gracefully overcomes criticism after receiving hate for the Charles Schwab Challenge interview
CBS Sports reporter Amanda Balionis faced online backlash following her interview with Rickie Fowler after the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge. Shortly after the broadcast, she shared two hate messages she received from viewers, each with conflicting complaints about her tone and approach.
"When we talk about being you instead of trying to be what you think others perceive as 'perfect' or 'good enough' ...here is an example of how the latter is simply an impossible and draining task," she wrote, posting a screenshot of the messages.
One message accused her of being unprofessional, stating:
"CBS should have fired Amanda some time ago. She is a highly unprofessional journalist. Her job is to be a journalist NOT to be a giggling, flirtatious high school girl."
Another fan took the opposite stance, saying her tone wasn’t light enough:
"Hey, could you be a little positive in your interviews and not bring up negative stats. Example, Rickie Fowler, [ranks] 125 in something and stuck in neutral. Very negative interview."
In response, Balionis made it clear she won’t be changing her approach to satisfy online criticism.
"You're always going to be 'too something' for somebody. It's a lot easier to be yourself and figure out what feedback is actually worth listening to (spoiler: it's never the trolls you don't know) rather than trying to be what everyone else wants," she wrote.
"Nobody wants the same thing and you'll end up turning yourself into an unrecognizable pretzel. Okay that's all. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk that absolutely nobody asked for," she added.
Amanda Balionis continues to receive support from fans and fellow broadcasters for her work on the PGA Tour, maintaining her usual presence and energy on air despite the backlash.
