Anniversaries are a great time to reflect on those moments that you truly cherish. It can be a time where the people come together and embrace each other as a unified front. The annual celebration allows past history to remain fresh in the people's minds and hopefully use the knowledge sharing as an opportunity to grow from it.
The Sports Fan Journal turned two years old today, and as I write these words in the middle of the night, fighting sleep with a cup of coffee and the stereo mildly playing my entire KanYe West collection on repeat, it's hard for me not to get emotional.
No, no, no. You don't have to worry about me boo-hooing over here. I'm cool. However, it's something else to witness transformation in people. When we started this website 731 days ago, one of the main pillars of our new digital media campaign was that we would give a voice to the people. Why? Because it is human nature to give the people what they want, at least that's the case according to the O'Jays and Jalen Rose. It's tough, because as the Editor-In-Chief, you sometimes have to be a purveyor of future truths. What do the people, the readers, want?
Well, who the hell knows really? I sure don't.
However, my personal goal is to be pure to myself and write about things that I feel are cool. In reality, that's the only mandate here at TSFJ, is that you write about things that you believe in. That's why we have guys who will write about baseball in a way that I never could, and I can actually play! Or hockey, soccer, wrestling, golf, sneakers, etc. … etc.
See, it's that etcetera that makes me feel great about what we do. Sports has a way of shining light on real-world trials and tribulations.
Like the relationship between a father and a son.
Or being homosexual in sports.
Maybe even determining who has the greatest Popeye's Cake.
Or the love between kid and dog.
The promise that I, on behalf of everyone that's ever contributed to this site, is that we're still getting better. This is a way to say thank you, to you the reader. For being patient with us, for being our biggest apostles and advocates, and most importantly, giving us a chance to be a part of your lives.
Now here's the time where this turns into the liner notes of your favorite CD/tape/album/illegally downloaded music from the internet.
Here's a big ups to all of our special contributors, who we affectionately call "The Fam." Big thanks to Charles Davis, The Godfather ak. Dr. Jeffrey A. Glenn, K.J. Kearney, Esau Howard, Brandon Caldwell, Clark Matthews, Jamar Hudson, Jesse Taylor, Daniel Dover, Johnathan Tillman, Andrea Masenda, Kellen Daniel, De'Shay Turner, Timothy Threadcraft, Larry Luk, Christian Braxton, Okori Wadsworth, Chris Mitra, Deandra Duggans, Dave Gold, Jay Anderson and the greatest 8th-grade coach in America aka Brandon "B-Lew" Lewis.
To the TSFJ featured writers and contributors, Mark Trible, Jason Clinkscales, Matt Whitener, Justin Tinsley, Syreeta Hubbard, Dillon Friday, Garfield Hylton, Alex Wong, Paul Navarro, Joe Simmons, Bryan Crawford and Philip Barnett ... if I can paraphrase the great Reggie Jackson, baseball edition, "You all are the straw that stirs the drink." The engine doesn't run without you all, and for that I am the greatly appreciative.
Finally, to the senior editor Joe Boland and the editor-at-large Kenny Masenda, the sleepless nights, countless arguments and shared laughs have all been worth it over the last four years. It's a honor and a pleasure to do battle with the two of you.
Now that I got all of that out the way, it's time to go back to work. Two years down, too many more to go. Thank you.
-Ed.
Eddie Maisonet is the founder and editor emeritus of The Sports Fan Journal. Currently, he serves as an associate editor for ESPN.com. He is an unabashed Russell Westbrook and Barry Switzer apologist, owns over 100 fitteds and snapbacks, and lives by Reggie Jackson’s famous quote, “I am the straw that stirs the drink.”
