Poetry Challenge #320: Playing the Game

Happy Fall Classic Sports fans! Depending on how the games go, as you read the Diamondbacks and Rangers may still be facing off, or one has emerged victorious—that’s your cue: raise your hands and channel Queen: “We are the champion! We are the champions!”

Decades before Queen’s anthem rocked sports fans, birthday boy Grantland Rice ((Nov 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) stirred sports fans with words. Sans drums, special effects or technicolor Rice made heroes of mere mortals in black type on newsprint.

“When a sportswriter stops making heroes out of athletes, it’s time to get out of the business.”—Grantland Rice

Grantland Rice was to sports writing what MGM, Paramount and Netflix were/are to actors. If you doubt me, take a walk down Hollywood Boulevard. That’s right: Rice has a Hollywood Star. His typewriter is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He was that good.

As is so often the story, Rice, wanted to be a pro baseball player—at Vanderbilt he was captain of the football team and a shortstop—but his family, his good “old” Tennessee father and grandfather especially, would not hear of it.

Was Rice any good? The photo above of Rice in uniform circa 1901 is in the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.

Because he couldn’t play pro sports, Rice wrote about them. His syndicated column appeared in over 100 newspapers. Grantland Rice died in his office, of a heart attack, after completing a column about Willie Mays at the 1954 All-Star game.

The first time the World Series was carried on live radio—100 years ago—Rice was the play-by-play announcer. The NY Yankees won the series. Babe Ruth was the teams star player.

The day after Babe Ruth died, Aug 16, 1948, Rice’s poem “Game Called” was published.

“It’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game,”—that was Grantland Rice.

Poetry Challenge #320

Playing the Game

Grantland Rice wrote in a “heroic” style with vivid imagery, metaphor and simile. It’s said he “raised games to the level of ancient combat and their heroes to the status of demigods.”

Because it’s his birthday, and it’s fall and there are all manner of balls in the air, let’s write a sports poem. The poem can be about any sport you fancy. Or a made-up sport.

Write it as Rice might have, in a “heroic” style.

Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes

Start Writing!

Don’t Think About it, Play!

Kelly Bennett and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge. We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you.