I’m a proud alum of the University of Illinois. Well, with the exception of the Illini’s recent football and basketball teams.

Every quarter, I receive the Illinois Alumni magazine. The issue focuses on notable graduates, such as scientists, business leaders, economists, etc. Prominent alums, to be sure.

So imagine my surprise when I received the summer issue of Illinois Alumni and saw Will Leitch on the cover. Yes, Will Leitch, the founder of Deadspin.

Turns out Leitch is a ’97 U of I grad. Inside, there’s a four-page piece by Jamie Malanowski, with a subhead that reads:

Founding editor of the website Deadspin, Will Leitch helped pioneer the postmodern world of sportswriting–all the news that’s fit to print, plus all the stuff that maybe isn’t.

I found the cover choice of Leitch to be rather curious. Illinois can be a pretty conservative place. I wonder if the editors know about some of the exact content on Deadspin. Most of you know of what I speak.

On the other hand, perhaps Illinois Alumni is trying to appeal to younger alums, many of whom likely read Deadspin. Hey, we’re hip too.

All in all, I have one essential question: Does Leitch’s presence on the cover enhance or hurt my Illinois degree?

In an e-mail, I asked Leitch if he ever thought he would be on the cover on Illinois Alumni magazine? It turns out Leitch hadn’t seen the magazine since he isn’t a member of the Illinois Alumni Association. Time to pony up, Will.

Here’s Leitch’s reply:

Ha. I had no idea I was going to be on the cover and had honestly forgotten about the interview until someone told me about the story on Twitter. I suppose it’s an honor, but I can’t help but think that the honor, as a concept, is lessened by the fact that it was bestowed upon me (no club that would have me as a member, all that). I really do hope it doesn’t cause anyone to cancel their subscription. You have to be a donor to the alumni association to get the mag — it’s why I’ve yet to see a physical copy — and boy, that school needs all the money it can get. (I think my four years tuition is almost as much as Bruce Weber made during the time it took me to write this paragraph.)
Also please let everyone know that the picture was taken just a few weeks after my son was born and since then I’ve lost that extra weight.