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Reilly talks sports and life on campus
By Christopher Drexel
It is not uncommon to have a crowd of people gather in line for a chance to mingle with a famous sports player. However, a crowd of people gathering to see a sports writer is a different story.
That is the scene that took place Thursday in the jam-packed Hobbs Family Stadium Club inside the ICA Building at Sun Devil Stadium where approximately 150 people attended a speaking session by nationally-known Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly.
The event was part of a nationwide tour in which Reilly is promoting his latest book, Who's your Caddy.
The book, currently fourth on The New York Times best-seller list, chronicles various expeditions Reilly took as he served as a golf caddy for 12 individuals including PGA great Jack Nicklaus, blind golfer Bob Andrews, a $50,000-a-hole gambler and even Donald Trump.
Reilly is best known for his weekly column in Sports Illustrated, "The Life of Reilly."
Reilly, whose primary goal is often to entertain, rather than inform, saw no problem with fans wanting autographs from a member of the media as opposed to an athlete.
"We got real problems if I'm the voice of reason," Reilly said. "Sports is just so much fun. It's not scary for people to talk about at cocktail party and its part of the fabric that we all live in. I have people writing me saying 'your column is the first thing I've been able to talk to my Dad about in 10 years.' Or women will say that 'you're the first thing that I've ever cared about in sports' because really I'm not writing about sports.
"It's not really about sports. It's about people and their sorrows and their joys and stupid things and things that make you laugh and get mad. That's what the best writing is about, the people."
Reilly's speaking session stemmed much further than chatter about his book as he shared various memories of his 19-year career with SI in which he was voted National Sportswriter of the Year eight times.
Reilly said he enjoyed returning to Arizona, the venue where he witnessed "the greatest college football game (he) ever saw" last January when Ohio State and Miami competed for the national championship during the Fiesta Bowl.
"I have so many stories about this town and this stadium," Reilly said. "I love this stadium. Why do they need a new stadium? Tell [Arizona Cardinals owner] Bill Bidwill to stay off the crack."
By Christopher Drexel
It is not uncommon to have a crowd of people gather in line for a chance to mingle with a famous sports player. However, a crowd of people gathering to see a sports writer is a different story.
That is the scene that took place Thursday in the jam-packed Hobbs Family Stadium Club inside the ICA Building at Sun Devil Stadium where approximately 150 people attended a speaking session by nationally-known Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly.
The event was part of a nationwide tour in which Reilly is promoting his latest book, Who's your Caddy.
The book, currently fourth on The New York Times best-seller list, chronicles various expeditions Reilly took as he served as a golf caddy for 12 individuals including PGA great Jack Nicklaus, blind golfer Bob Andrews, a $50,000-a-hole gambler and even Donald Trump.
Reilly is best known for his weekly column in Sports Illustrated, "The Life of Reilly."
Reilly, whose primary goal is often to entertain, rather than inform, saw no problem with fans wanting autographs from a member of the media as opposed to an athlete.
"We got real problems if I'm the voice of reason," Reilly said. "Sports is just so much fun. It's not scary for people to talk about at cocktail party and its part of the fabric that we all live in. I have people writing me saying 'your column is the first thing I've been able to talk to my Dad about in 10 years.' Or women will say that 'you're the first thing that I've ever cared about in sports' because really I'm not writing about sports.
"It's not really about sports. It's about people and their sorrows and their joys and stupid things and things that make you laugh and get mad. That's what the best writing is about, the people."
Reilly's speaking session stemmed much further than chatter about his book as he shared various memories of his 19-year career with SI in which he was voted National Sportswriter of the Year eight times.
Reilly said he enjoyed returning to Arizona, the venue where he witnessed "the greatest college football game (he) ever saw" last January when Ohio State and Miami competed for the national championship during the Fiesta Bowl.
"I have so many stories about this town and this stadium," Reilly said. "I love this stadium. Why do they need a new stadium? Tell [Arizona Cardinals owner] Bill Bidwill to stay off the crack."
