Feature Story Post: Michael Vick

The story I chose was about Philadelphia Eagles quarterback, Michael Vick. This feature article comes from Sports Illustrated written by S.L. Price on November 29, 2010, and is titled, "Is It O.K. To Cheer?" The article goes on to talk about Vick's crime and punishment for the abuse of dogs and being affiliated with the dog fights. Also, it talks about his redemption and second chance he received with the Philadelphia Eagles.

I would say this feature falls under profile and issue/idea. Not only do you get a sense of who Michael Vick is as a person, but it mainly deals with a snippet of his life. It does not fall under a typical profile feature which generally talks about someone's full life.

The conflict and tension in the story is Vick's time in jail and how he used it to turn around his life. It is resolved with a positive ending and shows that even in the worst of times, you always can improve and be given a second chance. This feature's theme, in my opinion, is discover. Vick was heralded as such a high-prized commodity in college and early on in his NFL career. But due to the crime he committed, he then reevaluated his life and turned it in a complete 180.

It is told in the third person view and the writer's voice is very professional. He tells you the facts, but also wants to portray Vick as a good guy. Mistakes are a part of life and it's unfortunate that Vick had to go through this, but ultimately it made him who he is today.

Having already heard parts of this story, it was nice to finally fill in the missing parts. I have always been a big fan of Vick and still am to this day. I think it is unfair for him to have been punished the way he was compared to other NFL players who have gotten away with murder and rape, but I guess that's just how it goes sometimes. Overall I really liked this piece and it was nice to see that a role model I had as a kid was able to turn a bad situation into a life-altering style change.