As of 3:34 pm today, Rick Reilly is officially dead to me. For years, his Life of Reilly column on the backpage of Sports Illustrated was the first thing I read when my magazine arrived every Wednesday. Reilly had a unique gift for finding the perfect way to present an inspiring or humorous outside-the-box take on the world of sports. I often came away remembering why it was I followed these games so passionately.
Really, his downfall probably began four or five years ago, when his once bitingly sarcastic sense of humore began to turn folksy and downright corny. He teetered even closer ot the edge with his repetitive columns about baseball's steroids scandal, where he repeatedly (and unimaginatively) blasted players for their influence on kids. Talk about a tired, trite angle.
This week's column is the last straw, though. In it, Reilly defends Boston University's decision to throw out fans who swear during hockey games. Wow. Can anyone think of a more curmudgeonly, stodgy and unhip position to take than that?
Maybe I'm memorializing, but it seems to me that in years past, Reilly would have torn the administration at Boston University a new one for making this decision. When Idrop upwards of $20 on a ticket, can easily spend another $12-$15 on a burger, fries and a beer, it's hard to remember why I ever left the comfort of my living room. The right to calll Derek Jeter, the goalie for Boston College, or some unnamed sports journalist in attendance, (who may or may not have lost his edge as a writer) a fucking douchebag is all I left. Well, that and the enjoyment of hearing fans far more creative than me spew mockery way more articulate than "fucking douchebag."
And you wanna take that away from me, Reilly? As you say so cleverly in your column "f&@!$ you!"
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