Mini Project #6 Real Sports Segment

Real Sports Covers Touching Story
By: Amy Breckin

On one of the latest episodes of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, there is a segment that highlights the struggle of retired relief pitcher Jeff Reardon. Reardon, who retired from baseball in 1994 had great success with teams such as, the Montreal Expos, the Minnesota Twins, and the Boston Red Sox. Reardon was nicknamed “The Terminator” and once held the record for the most saves. After Reardon retired, he faced what many retired athletes encounter, the depression that comes with retirement and the feeling of not being needed.

Reardon also began having problems with his son, Shane, who fell deep into the world of drugs and alcohol. Shane was sent to a boarding school and excelled, but after graduating school and entering college, Shane fell back into the drug scene and eventually died of a drug overdose. The fact that his son was dead sent Reardon into a deep depression and he was soon in a state of psychosis.

On one particular day, Reardon attempted suicide by stepping in front of a tractor tailor, but the driver swerved and missed him. The day before Christmas in 2005, Reardon robbed a jewelry store for $170 even though he had $600 in his wallet and millions of dollars in the bank. Reardon was charged with robbery, but was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Doctors tried medications and also shock therapy to help Reardon’s psychological status. Today, he is doing much better, but the shock treatment has caused him to lose large portions of his memory.

Through this segment, Real Sports gave a real account of a tragic situation. Jeff Reardon lost his son, and simply reached his breaking point. He is not the type of person that robs jewelry stores, but he fell into a dark place and he could not be reached. Bryant Gumbel did an excellent interview and really exposed the human side of what happens when we face tragedy. Jeff Reardon was a great athlete, but he is also a person that has suffered a tremendous loss.

This was not your typical fall from grace approach to covering a news story. It was also interesting that Bryant Gumbel expressed that Reardon’s comfort was found in baseball, and he did not have that in his life to focus on and to use as a means of distraction or amusement. Reardon was simply left everyday with his thoughts and the memory of his son. It was also touching to show that everyone has a breaking point, and anyone can have a mental breakdown when faced with so much heartache and tragedy.

My only criticism was that I would have liked to know if any of Reardon’s former teammates tried to intervene in his life, or even any previous managers. I wondered if they maybe could have also interviewed other athletes who lost children or loved ones and how it affected them. I know it is a difficult aspect to share, but I am sure that there are other athletes who would have shared their stories in order to help others. These would be my only criticisms. Overall, it was an excellent news story.