c i l b u p e r OF ports s
the
ON
By L. j
L’97 m i e h Wert
lf, tse i d e f s an n li c i a t e h i olit pol re t p , o e m k n i l n, si tion n t o p i u r m g i de spo And rel er f re se. out an o r oth b h e s a t v n e ) i I se e l k . n l ta the mor tion he u n i d ta ce, i t d a n e f r a g os con ro lk an rom g th nte d ta f m n e i n u s c d a h e all lk the c lu hol th f me , in d ta i w s o n w e e c a d —th utiv lk ( e be lle xec ers h av n ta s fi t e ’ a s c t s t c I r ra rt y. ne spo cha spo pa n n, o e e m o l o i h b t c ig p ira ite rel kee adm pol o t d m i ugh s an and tor eno c s a ’ y. re bad bus the y , r s d , ve wor ery v , es pa g
, s c i t i l o p n a h t e r o mM
O
Executive Editor oF SpoRTS Illustrated gives his take on our national obsession ne of the occupational hazards of my work, I
I was cut out for a conventional career in the law. The previous
am often asked to name my favorite athletes.
summer, I had worked in a mid-sized West Coast firm, where I
I’m still never quite sure how to answer this,
devoted great rations of time to staring at my watch, noting six-
so I tend to respond in one of several ways,
minute increments, and then wondering why time seemed only
ticking off heroes of my youth (Cal Ripken,
to crawl. I was prepared to work again as a summer associate,
Reggie Miller), fellow Indiana natives (Larry
when, the occupational equivalent of a Hail Mary pass, I lucked
Bird, Don Mattingly), towering figures whose
into a summer job in the editorial division of Sports Illustrated.
contributions transcend sports (Arthur Ashe,
“You have a lot to learn about writing,” a particularly
Billie Jean King) or one of those jocks who
candid editor told me during an interview. “But we like that
have made my job easier by being accom-
you have a legal background.” He went on to explain that in
modating and accessible (Roger Federer, Steve
the past few years—during the O.J. murder trial and Tyson’s
Nash).
extended one-man crime wave—the magazine could have used
I seldom mention the two athletes who’ve
more staffers armed with the skills to pull legal documents, dis-
probably had the greatest impact on my ca-
tinguish between an indictment and an arraignment, translate
reer: Mike Tyson and O.J. Simpson. Don't
legalese into a language the readers could comprehend. Oh, and
misunderstand: I admire neither. Long as it
when could I start? I accepted the position on the spot. During
stays between us, I consider them both to be pretty loathsome.
the workdays that summer, time flew. I took that as a good sign.
But, indirectly anyway, they had an outsized impact on my un-
I started full-time the Monday after I took the bar exam, and
likely career path.
have been part of the enterprise ever since.
In 1996, I was a 2L at Penn Law. As much as I enjoyed my
The editors back then had seemed to recognize what is now
studies and the challenge of the coursework, I wasn’t sure that
plainly apparent. Sports have grown—metastasized, some, including my wife, might say—into something unrecognizable.
3 0 w w w. l a w. u p e n n . e d u / a l u m n i