In Rick Reilly's ESPN article, "Why I Love My Job" he explains the numerous reasons to why sports should be seen differently. When people think of sports they think of competitions between people, extreme actions taking place, a winner in the end but there is far more to sports than we realize. The reason for Reilly to write about sports all started when one of his professors told him "You're better than sports." Reilly strongly disagreed with his professor because he believed that sports had a much bigger impact on people's lives. He felt as though soorts were the reason for him being a good writer. He would write journals and articles about all different types of sports. His professor thought that if he were to focus less on sports and more on his writing he could possibly become more noticeable and earn more money from his writings. However, Reilly thought otherwise.
In almost every paragraph, Reilly gives a different description of sports near the very beginning. Before he further explains his position, adding these descriptions help the audience to know what exactly he is going to talk about. They also help people to know of the reasons why sports mean more than we think. Reilly correlates sports and human life by using personification in his article. This is very helpful for someone who may know nothing about sports because it'll allow for them to identify and visualize Reilly's descriptions more clearly. Reilly was also able to compare sports to other well-known things to help give a better understanding of what Reilly was trying to explain. For example, Reilly says "sports is Oprah for guys," meaning that they get so caught up in sports and what they have to say about them it just becomes a habit to want to keep watching more.
Reilly also uses many short stories and personal experiences involving a professional and amateur sports to support his argument. He includes stories to demonstrate the emotions and meaning sports can have for people. For instance, Reilly says, "I knew a Boston dad and son who hadn't spoken in five years...But when the Red Sox win it all in 2004, the son came home." This goes to show that sports can bring together families and create new memories with them. These feelings we get from reading such sad stories create emotional bonds towards sports that further grab our attention. In some circumstances, we can instantly relate to any one of these short stories or descriptions and begin to realize why Reilly enjoys writing about sports and why they make him such a good writer. By taking such a simple subject and describing it as a part of life really shows how deep Reilly can be as a writer.
Throughout his article, Reilly includes anecdotes that help to build his credibility. His anecdotes can relate to any audience because they describe average people's experiences and feelings, such as anger, joy, and disappointment. Everyone has experienced these types of emotions, not only when watching sports but just in general. Sports can alter so many different feelings for so many different reasons. If one's favorite football team lost to their rivals they would be devastated and full of anger. If the team made a good play, or a touchdown, everyone would jump for joy and cheer. All sets of emotions can be experienced in just one game and that helps to prove Reilly's argument that sports are more meaningful.
All of these devices helped to convey Reilly's message that sports could be more than meets one's eyes. Reilly chose to do what makes him happy and not listen to his professor's advice, or anyone else's in that matter. Even though he could have probably made more money and fame if he were to write about "bigger and better" things, he still went with what he loved. His passion for writing about sports made him the writer he is today, so why would people want him to change? Reilly wants people to see just how important sports can be in many different ways to many different people. He wants people to be able to enjoy sports without having others tell them they shouldn't. Make your own decisions that will benefit you and make you happy.
