I’ll miss this column.
Nearly every week for the past six years, I’ve submitted about 650 words about an issue, situation or person I thought was important and compelling. I’m proud of many accomplishments in my life, but this column has always felt like the most socially important job that I’ve ever had.
At times I was anxious about publishing my unfiltered feelings in the newspaper for everyone to read. I knew that people would judge me, and possibly condemn me for the positions that I took, but I also knew that I was blessed to have the opportunity to express myself in the paper. Only a handful of people get to write columns, and I was one of the lucky few.
I’ve written about a wide array of issues, but more than anything else, I’ve tried to use this platform to speak up for groups that have been disenfranchised, victimized, marginalized, discriminated against or otherwise repressed by the will of the economically, politically and numerically powerful.
I’ve written in defense of homeless people, prisoners, illegal immigrants, people detained indefinitely, homosexuals, women, drug-users, prostitutes, taxpayers, soldiers, racial minorities, patients, religious minorities, and regular working-class Joes (e.g., the RTD workers currently on strike).
Often I was on the side of very unsympathetic victims, offering perspectives on their plight that were totally at odds with widely held stereotypes. Sometimes my columns drew praise for being brave, rational, compassionate and well-written. Other times they drew criticism for being short-sighted, outrageous, ill-informed and illogical. I developed a tolerance for both praise and criticism – either of which can be crippling in excessive quantities – and the continuous process of writing and getting feedback helped me grow as a person and as a commentator.
Now, I’m moving on to something new. Starting in June, I’ll be the weekend sports anchor for the local CBS affiliate, KCNC-Channel 4, and I’m excited for the opportunity. Ironically, now that I’m nine years removed from my NFL career, I feel that I can safely take on a job that I might have rejected if it had been available immediately after the Broncos released me in 1997.
Back then, I didn’t want to get pigeon- holed as a guy who could only do sports. Journalism has been my constant career passion since I was in ninth grade, and my interests have always been far more diverse than just sports.
I got my first newspaper job when I was 17, writing obituaries for the now- defunct San Antonio Light. During a four-year college internship with the Austin American-Statesman, I covered traffic fatalities, fires, robberies and other stories on the police beat. An internship at Newsday in New York introduced me to the contentious world of water, sewage, school board and city council meetings.
In the 15 years that I’ve been in Denver, I’ve worked as a sports commentator and analyst for newspapers, radio stations and TV channels, but I’ve successfully avoided a sports-only label by writing an opinion/editorial column, hosting general-topic talk radio shows, hosting a PBS public affairs show, and doing other non-sports commentary.
Now I’m ready to pursue a job that will be exciting, challenging and totally sports-related. I have a lot to learn about writing for television, being a beat reporter and anchoring the news, and honestly, that’s a big part of the appeal. I’m eager to learn more about this branch of journalism and develop my skills as a television reporter.
But I’ll miss this column and the correspondence that it has allowed me to have with thousands of readers over the years.
I’ve appreciated your praise and your criticisms, and I’ve learned a lot from you. I hope that you’ll come with me as I embark on this next chapter in my career.
Former Bronco Reggie Rivers (reggierivers2002@yahoo.com) is the host of “Global Agenda” Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on KBDI-Channel 12. His column appears every Friday.
