Rick Reilly finds the story week after week

Every week I rush to the library to check out the latest Sports Illustrated (since I don't get it delivered to my mailbox because my Dad is selfish and wants it for himself at home, just kidding...but seriously). Anyway, unlike most readers who read the cover and then flip to the first page, I on the other hand go to the back page before all else. This is because one of my favorite journalists, Rick Reilly, has occupied this page with his weekely columns for as long as I can remember.

Reilly isn't the normal sports journalist, however, which is why I like his stuff so much. He doesn't do the same old, tired topics all the time. He strives to find unique and interesting personal stories by making the extra effort to look for and research them. In Reilly's view, every person has a story to tell, whether they are famous or not. He rarely covers professional sports in his writings, instead opting for areas that don't receive the publicity the deserve. One can find Reilly giving due to Division III athletics, cheerleading or special olympics, among other topics.

In this week's edition, Reilly writes about a 60 year old man from a small town in Vermont with cerebral palsy named Butch Varno. Varno has attened almost every Middleburry College football and basketball game since he was a teenager. It is a tradition that began when he was 13 that students from the college would drive to his house to pick him and his wheel chair up to take him to whichever athletic event. He sits field/coutside and has even given pre-game speeches to the teams. He loves the tradition at Middleburry: "These kids care what happens to me. They don't have to, but they do. I don't know where I'd be without them."

I think it's great that Reilly takes the time to look for and write about these emotional, feel-good stories that otherwise would never be heard or told. He goes beyond sports to show that there is so much more to them than just the athletes. Sports bring people together just as Reilly will continue to bring readers together every week on the last page of SI.