Life of Reilly

by Rick Reilly

In the last 15 years as a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and the only opinion columnist in the magazine's 40-year history, Rick Reilly has covered every aspect of the sporting life, from tennis moms to Lakers-obsessed Jack Nicholson. He's written about Katarina Witt behind the Iron Curtain, wrestling priests in Mexico City, and (reluctantly) accompanying models on the swimsuit issue. His level-headed and often hilarious approach has earned him a devoted readership. This collection presents the best of Reilly: unforgettable sporting moments, favorite columns, and unpublished pieces.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Essays, Humor, Baseball

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a collection of many of the columns that Reilly wrote for Sports Illustrated. I really enjoyed the ones pertaining to people and sports I was interested in. There were also several stories he told about ordinary people that were good. I basically skimmed over those about sports I don't enjoy. All in all it was a most entertaining book.

[Chris Seltzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a certain archetype of sports writer that Reilly embodies. Witty, a bit sarcastic, engrossed in sports culture but never cheap - every one of his columns has something to say, whether a moral lesson, irreverent observation, or interesting question.

Rick arguably hadn't really hit his stride yet in these earlier columns. Missing are the occasional emotional stories that he was so good at telling in his later works.

You could also argue that the format was a double-edged sword in some ways - Rick had to be topical with his writings, he had limited space to work with, and he couldn't step too far out of the bounds of traditional sports media. This makes the book a bit dated at points but also means it's an easy read that you can power through in a few hours. You can also pick it up and start at any point - the columns are meant to be read independently by people who might just be waiting at their dentist's office.

It's a fun time if you grew up with sports in the late 90s.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read, with some gems and some duds, as you'd expect from a collection like this one; some stories that will make you laugh out loud and some that will make you cry. I'll never understand, though, why an editor would choose to end with the latter.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fabulous collection of the Author’s weekly columns that appeared in Sports Illustrated. While the stories themselves all revolve around a common sports theme, each one is a distinctly different dive into the human experience.

[J. Scott Frampton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is aging well. I read it on a flight halfway across the USA, and it filled the time well. A walk through the sports world from the mid-1990s to the last portion of the decade. Sharp writing style that comes at you in relatively short bursts. All excellently served.

[Josh Skogman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Growing up I always enjoyed Rick’s articles in the back of Sports Illustrated. The book is a collection of those articles. A little bit of everything in this.

[Reed Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost ever column was great. Best one, When Your Dream Dies.

[Matt Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading his columns when I was younger. It was great to reread so many of them now.

[Frank Asplund · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection of Reilly’s columns from the 80s and 90s. I especially liked the article on Nicklaus’ last major win at Augusta.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Reilly's back page column in Sports Illustrated is the highlight of the weekly magazine for me. So this compilation of the best of his works was a must. The one page articles are interspersed amongst some longer short stories that he's written. Reilly writes with wit and heart. His stories about the famous, the infamous, and the regular guys (Joe Fan if you will) make you laugh and also bring you to tears sometimes. He is really writing little glimpses into life, just using sports figures as the parallels. Sometimes he just has fun talking about having to write about the SI swimsuit photo shoots. Oh yes, he totally *hates* covering that!! This is a book I can, and will, easily pick up and re-read.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Reilly was one of the best writers that Sports Illustrated ever employed as a staff writer (high praise indeed). His column at the back of the magazine was one of the best reasons to read it week after week in the 90's and 00's. This is a collection of some of his best. They run the gamut from hilarious (his profile of cheerleading), to heart wrenching (his tribute to the Columbine HS gym teacher who died during the shooting. The book is a bit dated - published in 2000 it features stars and celebrities from that time (Bryant Gumbel?) but the writing is just as crisp and inspiring as ever.

[Tina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure why I'm reading this. But I am.

ETA: Eh, I quit this one. It was okay. Reilly has some funny moments, but he's also kind of annoyingly critical and contradictory -- like in one essay he makes fun of cheerleaders, and then in the next he suggests that they're a good thing. And far be it for me to criticize someone for being too critical, but really? Making fun of cheerleaders and baseball? LAME.

[JT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basically, it's a collection of Reilly's columns over a few years (say, 1995-2000). Reilly writes the column on the last page of Sports Illustrated every week, but, despite that, he doesn't really write about sports.

He writes about life, using sports as the metaphor. He has a very-Brysonesque sense of humor, and he's one of the few columnists who's been known to set me giggling.

There are some really top notch columns in this collection.

[Mike Da Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I had a subscription to Sports Illustrated, I would flip to the last page every week as soon as I got the issue. You don't always have to agree with him to see his points, but it's always a good article. Funny, inspirational, heart breaking, sarcastic, and a voice of reason. You'll laugh, agree, shake your head in disbelief, and occasionally wipe away a tear. Buy it, read it, you won't regret it.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable collection of Reilly's Sports Illustrated columns. I read this collection specifically because it included two of my all time favorites by any author - "Glory to the Gridiron"; a humorous comparison between football and baseball, and "Funny You Should Ask"; Reilly's essay to his son on the meaning of life..

[Rambles · Rating 4 out of 5]

So...this is a book about sports? Yes.
No doubt about the rich and spoiled sportsmen who are arrogant and boorish? In part, yes. But this book is different. It rips into arrogance and celebrates sportsmanship and achievements against the odds.
Even if you hate sports, read this, it'll make you laugh and sob in equal measure.

[Chris Kaftan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rick Reilly is my favorite sports columnist. I've never read every single of his articles, but this book gives me the best of the best. Saves me the need of having to keep his old columns or articles.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to subscribe to Sports Illustrated. Week in and week out, my favorite part of the magazine was Reilly's column on the back page. This is a collection of his best columns and longer pieces. He's a funny guy and a gifted writer.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reprint of some of Rick Reilly's best columns from Sports illustrated. Rick is an excellent columns writer and many of these reprints will leave you laughing and also feeling very good about the world.

[Doug · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff. A collection of his SI writings, including some of his longer features, most notably his multi-part article on doing the 1992 Barcelona Olympics on the cheap. Still one of the funnier pieces of sportswriting, although really only tangentially about sports, that I have ever read.

[Nathan Money · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite sports writer by far. He's bold, witty, and introspective throughout each of his articles - had me going from laughing out loud to thinking about what matters in life in the same article. Really a brilliant writer.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

At this point, old and outdated. I did remember many pieces I had read way back when and in that timeframe when they were fresh, great articles. Some are classics but most do not stand the test of time...

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sports, dry humor, unexpected moments of poignancy--what's not to love?

[Scott Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent collection of Reilly's SI columns -- some very funny, and many very heartwarming stories.

[David Pincus · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a long-time Rick Reilly fan, I've read a lot of these collumns before, but it was great to revisit them. Apparently, according to my wife, if you're not into sports, it's not much of a book

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't liked a single thing he's written in like 5 years, but this older stuff is pretty good.

[Cristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book, I don’t really know what else to say about it.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the selection of stories/articles in Rick Reilly's other book "Hate Mail from Cheerleaders", but for whatever reason I didn't like these selections as well.

[Sebastian Roesinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the topics, writing is easy and interesting

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this countless times - a great collection of articles by my favorite sportswriter!