Living The Dream
Emma Baccellieri has always had a passion for baseball since she was a little girl. Her passion eventually led her to an ultimate dream job. Getting to focus on the game she loves the most, Baccellieri is now a staff writer at Sports Illustrated, covering all aspects of baseball.
This was never something Baccellier initally set out to do.
While attending Duke University, Baccellieri embarked on a new journey, particularly a writing one. Covering news at the daily student newspaper, Duke Chronicle, Baccellieriʻs writing consisted of a focus on political and metro news.
Like most college students, Baccellieri needed an outlet where she could just let go and enjoy herself. No rules. No restrictions. Her outlet consisted of blogging about the sport she loves the most, baseball. “I didnʻt even think of it as writing,” said Baccellieri, “It was just a fun thing I did as a senior.”
As she was getting ready to graduate, Baccellieri planned to have a career writing for political and metro news, like she did in the school paper. She never expected her blogging outlet to sparke a flame, igniting the fire to a career in sports writing.
Baccellieri calls working for Sports Illustrated, a dream.
One of the many things Baccellieri appreciates about working for Sports Illustrated is the freedom to pursue baseball in different ways. “I am able to look at the game in a way that I want,” Baccellieri said, “I really just love that I am able to have some fun with my writing.”
According to Baccellieri, Sports Illustrated does not have a strict institutional voice on their style of writing. Their writers are able to make stories their own as long as they follow AP Style Guidelines.
During the interview, it was very compelling to see the different ways Baccellieri covered the sport.
Baccellieri recollected on a profile she did on Major Leagueʻs Baseball player, Christian Yelich, outfielder for the Milwaukee Brewers. Baccellieri got the chance to visit Yelichʻs home in Malibu, Calif., discussing Yelich’s MVP offseason. According to Baccellieri, Yelich coped with the ravages of wildfire in 2018, helping those suffering — and grateful that he could still celebrate the biggest day of his brilliant young career.
Reflecting on her career, Baccellieri mentioned that covering last yearʻs World Series is one of the most exciting things she has experienced, thus far. After winning Game 7 in the World Series, Washington Nationals rightfully earned their title of World Series Champions. Living in Washington, Baccellieri was happy to see the Nationals win, especially because of the miraculous comeback they had in the seventh inning. “The series itself was just so exciting to watch”, Said Baccellieri, “Game 7 was totally electric and it will be a game people will remember for a long time.”
It was inspiring to see the passion Baccellieri had for not only the game of baseball but the passion she had for writing as well. Getting the chance to have a job that you have extreme love and passion for is the ultimate dream, and it is a dream that Baccellieri is living today.
Interested in more?
Be sure to check out www.emmabaccellieri.com to see more of her work!
Follow Emma Baccellieri on Twitter
