Thanks, Adam, for your contributions to The Sports Column.
The great thing about the web is that you get to meet a lot of folks. That conclusion certainly applies to my time at The Sports Column. But I’ve never “met” most of the colleagues here–at least not in the traditional sense of the word. The relationships are virtual. It’s an example of what sociologists call “the strength of weak ties.”
Adam Jeffrey (photo, Twitter)
One of the writers I ‘met’ early-on was Adam Jeffrey.
I learned quickly that Adam has a passion for asking tough questions. He takes nothing at face value. He’ll probe and critique, ruminate and draw conclusions. Then he’d often express an opinion that flew in the face of conventional thinking.
Adam provokes. He makes you think. Readers responded to both, and feedback led him to adopt the persona, “Mr. Sportz.”
He wrote a lot, too — close to one hundred articles since 2012. You can find the full list of his contributions here.
Here are my favorite articles:
–Colin Kaepernick: Let Freedom Ring?
–The Death Of The Original Big East Is Bad For Basketball
Adam and I developed an email relationship, exchanging thoughts about issues in sports and what was happening in broader society. I always looked forward to reading what he had to say.
Adam wrote again last week. It was to tell me that he had decided to retire from sports writing.
I told Adam how much I appreciated his work. I also told him how important he was to TSC–as a member of the original writing corps–during a time when the site was getting off the ground.
I want to share this story with you not only because I respect Adam, but also because I think it brings meaning to that gobbledegook, “the strength of weak ties.”
You establish a relationship with, gain respect for, and find value in a person you’ll never meet … in person, that is.
Thank you, Adam. Best wishes, my friend.
