Steve Rushin

Steve Rushin

Special Contributor, Sports Illustrated Steve Rushin was born in Elmhurst, Ill. on September 22, 1966 and raised in Bloomington, Minn. After graduating from Bloomington Kennedy High School in 1984 and Marquette University in 1988, Rushin joined the staff of Sports Illustrated. He is a Special Contributor to the magazine, for which he writes columns and features. In 25 years at SI, he has filed stories from Greenland, India, Indonesia, Antarctica, the Arctic Circle and other farflung locales, as well as the usual locales to which sportswriters are routinely posted. His first novel, The Pint Man, was published by Doubleday in 2010. The Los Angeles Times called the book "Engaging, clever and often wipe-your-eyes funny." His next book, a work of nonfiction, The 34-Ton Bat, will be published by Little, Brown in 2013. Rushin gave the commencement address at Marquette in 2007 and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters for "his unique gift of documenting the human condition through his writing." In 2006 he was named the National Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association. A collection of his sports and travel writing—The Caddie Was a Reindeer—was published by Grove Atlantic in 2005 and was a semifinalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. The Denver Post suggested, "If you don't end up dropping The Caddie Was a Reindeerduring fits of uncontrollable merriment, it is likely you need immediate medical attention." A four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, Rushin has had his work anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing, The Best American Travel Writing and The Best American Magazine Writing collections. His essays have appeared in Time magazine andThe New York Times. He also writes a weekly column for SI.com. His first book, Road Swing, published in 1998, was named one of the "Best Books of the Year" by Publishers Weekly and one of the "Top 100 Sports Books of All Time" by SI. He and his wife, Rebecca Lobo, have four children and live in Connecticut.

The Lowlights of 2022
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The Lowlights of 2022

The year gave us countless uplifting moments that reminded us why we love sports. And it also gave us these.

Steve Rushin
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The Smaller Vin Scully Made Himself, the Larger He Became
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MLB

The Smaller Vin Scully Made Himself, the Larger He Became

The legendary broadcaster, who died Tuesday at age 94, had a self-effacing instinct that always failed. His humility is why everybody loved him.

Steve Rushin
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Hurl, Interrupted: What Ever Happened to the Playground Spinner?
Sports Illustrated

Hurl, Interrupted: What Ever Happened to the Playground Spinner?

Whatever you called it, the memories—of kids crushed, of lunches lost—remain. So what became of those great steel playground nightmare-makers?

Steve Rushin
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Who’s Still Got Milk?
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Who’s Still Got Milk?

Consumption of the dairy product has dropped consistently over the last seventy years. But it remains an iconic symbol in the sports world.

Steve Rushin
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Back in My Father’s Day...
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MLB

Back in My Father’s Day...

The kids of Billy Martin, Harmon Killebrew and other baseball stars grew up cavorting in the clubhouse and unlocking the mysteries of the bleachers.

Steve Rushin
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The Lowlights of 2021
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The Lowlights of 2021

From Michael Jordan’s Underwear to Stoned Gondoliers, 2021 provided plenty of lowlights.

Steve Rushin
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Rhapsody in Blah
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NFL

Rhapsody in Blah

Now that the NFL has adopted the 17-game season, the .500 season is largely a thing of the past. We'll miss it.

Steve Rushin
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The Last Giant: The Cultural Clout of Willie Mays
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MLB

The Last Giant: The Cultural Clout of Willie Mays

Willie Mays was and remains, at age 90, a transformative figure in the national psyche, a skeleton key that opens almost any door into American life.

Steve Rushin
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The Faults in Our Tiny, Little Sports Stars
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MLB

The Faults in Our Tiny, Little Sports Stars

Steve Rushin
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Remembering the Best (and Worst) of Pitchers at the Plate
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MLB

Remembering the Best (and Worst) of Pitchers at the Plate

Steve Rushin
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“'Tough Acts to Follow' for $800, Please . . . Ken”
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Media

“'Tough Acts to Follow' for $800, Please . . . Ken”

Steve Rushin
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Pour One Out for the Sports Bar
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Pour One Out for the Sports Bar

Steve Rushin
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