Grantland Rice loved sports, and he loved to write. So it’s no wonder that he became a sportswriter. In fact, he became one of the very best sportswriters in the first half of the 20th century. Covering stars like Babe Ruth (the home run king), Ty Cobb (a baseball legend), and Knute Rockne (a famous football coach), Rice became known as “the dean of American sportswriters.”

Grantland Rice and Babe Ruth on the Golf Course

Grantland Rice also wrote poetry, and one of his poems, which is called “Alumnus Football,” contains the following lines:

For when the One Great Scorer comes
To mark against your name,
He writes – not that you won or lost –
But how you played the Game.

Mr. Rice knew that it’s important to play fair and that it’s important to be a good sport. Some things never change!

More Quotes from Grantland Rice

“I learned a lot more from defeat than I ever learned from winning.”

“Keep trying to win; keep playing the game; but, keep room in your heart for a song.”

“Many a losing entry has had every attribute except the belief he was going to win.”

“Self confidence is the hallmark of a champion…any champion.”

“Failure isn’t bad if it doesn’t attack the heart. Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head.”