BWAA BUSINESS

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Robinson, Ali, Frazier
Among New Names for BWAA Awards


       By a vote of the officers and board of directors, the Boxing Writers Association of America has changed the names on five of its yearly awards. The new names will be as follows:

       Edward J. Neil's name on the "Fighter of the Year" award has been replaced with that of Sugar Ray Robinson.

      Al Buck's name on the "Manager of the Year" award has been replaced with that of Cus D'Amato.

      James J. Walker's name on the "Long and Meritorious Service" award has been replaced with that of John F. X. Condon.

      Eddie Futch's name will now be the only one on the "Trainer of the Year" award. Condon's name will no longer be on that award with him.

      Harry Markson's name on the "Fight of the Year" award has been replaced with that of both Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

      The officers and board of directors voted against changing the name on the James J. Farley award for "Honesty and Integrity" in Boxing.

      All our other awards will retain their names. They are as follows:

      The Nat Fleischer award for "Excellence in Boxing Journalism."

      The Bill Crawford award for "Courage in Overcoming Adversity."

      The Sam Taub award for "Excellence in Broadcast Journalism."

      The A.J. Liebling award for "Outstanding Boxing Journalism."

      The Marvin Kohn "Good Guy award." 

      The BWAA extends its gratitude to Steve Farhood, who played an integral role in this process as chairman of the committee who recommended the above.

Hirsch Elected BWAA President

     JANUARY 12, 2009 -- Longtime Boxing Writers Association of America vice president Jack Hirsch is the new president of the BWAA, succeeding five-term president Bernard Fernandez. Hirsch has been a vice president of the BWAA since 2000. He has covered boxing since 1986, writing for such publications as Boxing Beat and Ring Sports magazines. From 1989 to the present, he has written for Britain’s Boxing News, for which he serves as American assignments editor and senior American correspondent.


     Hirsch will oversee a revamped slate of officers and members of the board of directors. The new first vice president is Don Steinberg, former boxing beat writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer who now writes for ESPN.com. Ron Borges is the sole holdover vice president and will be joined by newcomers David Mayo, who covers boxing for the Grand Rapids (Mich.) Press, and Sean Sullivan, editor of Boxing Digest. Appointed to the board of directors are new Midwest representative Tom Donelson, of Iowa, and new West representative Lance Pugmire, of the Los Angeles Times. Beginning Feb. 1, the mailing address of the BWAA will be P.O. Box 153, Rockaway Park, N.Y. 11694

Tim Dahlberg appointed BWAA Vice President

     February 10, 2009 -- Long-time Las Vegas fight scribe Tim Dahlberg has been appointed as a Vice President in the Boxing Writers Association of America, joining current VPs Ron Borges, Don Steinberg, and Sean Sullivan. Dahlberg replaces David Mayo, who resigned for personal reasons.

    Dahlberg is a national columnist and boxing writer for The Associated Press. In 1999 he won the BWAA's Nat Fleischer award for excellence in journalism.  Dahlberg was the 2006 winner of the Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi award for national sports column writing. He also authored the popular book Fight Town.

      With his credentials and wealth of experience, Tim Dahlberg will be a great asset to the BWAA.       

Legal services available

  January 29, 2009 - The BWAA has obtained the services of attorney, Keith M. Sullivan, Esq. as a legal consultant.  Mr. Sullivan's services will come at no cost to the BWAA or our members who reach out to him. Mr. Sullivan is a partner in the law firm Sullivan & Galleshaw, LLP of New York City.  At present, he serves as a distinguished member on the board of directors of the Atlas Foundation and Ring 8 of N.Y.  Mr. Sullivan is an adjunct professor at Pace University School of Law and lecturer for Kaplan-PMBR (a course that prepares law school graduates for taking the multi-state portion of the Bar exam).

    Mr. Sullivan can help the BWAA with a number of issues that might arise unexpectedly, but for the most part, I expect him to be an asset in the following matters:

·        Helping members understand the bylaws and amending them where applicable.

·        Handling BWAA legal matters that may arise throughout the year.

·        Providing a seminar on legal topics of interest.

·        Setting up a "Defamation Hotline" - where BWAA members can ask questions. (Keep in mind that the laws change from State to State).

·        Proof reading a story in advance of it being published to be sure it contains nothing libelous.

·        Limited court representation.

        Mr. Sullivan can be contacted at 718-326-6200 or keith@sullivangalleshaw.com. Fax: 718-228-7010. The firm's web site is www.SullivanGalleshaw.com.  Please make reference to the BWAA in any correspondence to Mr. Sullivan. Please join me in welcoming Keith M. Sullivan into the BWAA family and wishing him an association with us that lasts for years. -- Jack Hirsch

A Message From Bernard Fernandez

January 17, 2009 -- For five of the past seven years, it has been my privilege to serve the Boxing Writers Association of America as its president. During that time, and with the support of the organization’s officers and board members, many innovations were implemented to modernize and energize the BWAA.

Since 2001, we have had the “Barneys” to recognize and reward the best boxing writing; more than doubled our membership; adopted a new Constitution and bylaws; appointed regional members of the board of directors; printed the first-ever members directory; gone online with our own web page; updated our logo and staged three of our annual awards dinners (two in Las Vegas, one in Los Angeles) away from the traditional New York site, allowing more BWAA members from across the nation to attend our most prestigious event.

There is a new slate of officers, with new ideas, and I am confident that the BWAA will continue to evolve into an even more viable institution dedicated to the betterment of the boxing industry in general, and more specifically to the betterment of boxing journalism.

Individually, we speak with just one voice. Collectively, we also speak with one voice, but that voice is louder and is more apt to be heard at the highest levels of the sport. Trust me, the voice of the BWAA has resonated in many ways that has benefited its membership.

-- Bernard Fernandez


BWAA PASSES BYLAW AMENDMENTS

The Boxing Writers Association of America has updated its bylaws to be more inclusive to its ever-growing membership. Full members recently were asked to vote on four proposed amendments that would address emerging inadequacies from bylaws drawn up when the BWAA was substantially more concentrated in the Northeast U.S. and to create freedom to offer more within the organization. All four amendment proposals passed convincingly.

The first proposal to amend Article III and open up voting on officers to all paid, full BWAA members via mail as opposed to requiring attendance at the annual winter meeting passed by a count of 44-2.

The second proposal to amend Article VIII, Section C to allow for the expansion of our annual writing contest known as the Barney Awards was approved by a count of 44-0 with two abstentions.

The third proposal to amend Article IX, Section A to remove wording that dictates every annual awards dinner be held in New York was approved by a count of 45-1.

The fourth proposal to amend Article IX, Section C to permit for the expansion of our annual awards upon recommendation and a vote of BWAA members passed by a count of 45-1.

The deadline for the ballots to be returned was Sept. 15, but extra time was allowed to accommodate members who had not updated their mailing addresses over the years and our international contingent. Given that ballots received as late as Oct. 2 were counted, the overall voter turnout was somewhat disappointing, but no less official in passing all four amendments.

For older BWAA news announcements please click here.

ASSOCIATION NOTES

CALL FOR BARNEYS SUBMISSIONS
for 2009 stories

FROM BERNARD FERNANDEZ: The Boxing Writers Association of America’s annual “Barneys” writing contest is the Oscars, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys of our profession. Those of you fortunate enough to have placed in previous contests, against increasingly deep and talented fields in all categories, are aware of how prestigious this contest has become. I am also sure those who have yet to be so recognized are eager to join the list of award recipients.

     As always, the contest period is from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2009. Only one entry per category, please. While there is always the possibility of contest-worthy material being filed between now and the New Year, it would behoove those who intend to enter to start going through their clips and online stories now, the better to submit those entries (I would need printouts of the online stuff) in a prompt and timely manner.

     Contest entries need to be sent to BWAA, P.O. Box 1082, Drexel Hill, PA 19026. I would like to receive entries by Feb. 5, sooner if possible. It takes time to prepare the entries, ship them off to event coordinator Gina Andriolo for copying and to be forwarded to the judges, who also need time to do their thing. Information as to the date and location of the annual Awards Dinner will be forthcoming.

      CATEGORIES      

      Event coverage. Stories must have appeared in print or online within 36 hours of the fight, which precludes in this category only those appearing in magazines and other weekly and monthly publications.

      Column. Although some columns resemble feature stories, entries should lean more toward opinion pieces expressing a point of view.

      News story. Restricted to breaking news, i.e., non-feature material. You guys know the difference.

      Feature under 1,750 words. Everybody has a story to tell; this is your chance to tell it, and to tell it well.

      Feature over 1,750 words. Some of those stories require lengthier examinations.

      Investigative reporting. Could be one extended treatise, or a package of stories with a common theme. Obviously, these entries require some deeper digging.

      Make sure all entries include your name; the name of the newspaper, magazine or web site; the title or headline, and the date on which it appeared in print or online, or went on newsstands (no bylines or identifying marks are attached to the entries the judges receive). Please don’t make the beleaguered contest chairman have to chase you down to fill in any blanks.

      Good luck, and hope to see you at the BWAA Awards Dinner.

      -- Bernard Fernandez

Courage Award Named for Crawford

DECEMBER 19, 2008 -- By a vote of the officers and board members of the Boxing Writers Association of America, the "Courage in Overcoming Adversity Award" has been named for the late Bill Crawford. The first Crawford Award will be presented at the 84th annual BWAA Awards Banquet in New York City on April 17, 2009.

Bill Crawford, who was 81 when he died in his hometown of Palmer Lake, Colo., in 2000, was a native of Pueblo, Colo., and former Golden Gloves boxer who dreamed of one day becoming a professional world champion. But his fighting skills were used for a higher purpose during World War II.

Crawford was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry for his actions during heavy fighting in September 1943 near Altavilla, Italy. On three separate occasions, and on his own initiative, he raced through intense enemy fire to detonate hand grenade on enemy gun sites. Captured by the Germans during the same engagement for which he eventually earned his Medal of Honor, he was listed as "presumed dead." His father was presented his CMH in 1945. Later in 1945, Crawford was among a group of soldiers rescued from German control. He remained in the Army and retired in 1967 as a master sergeant, later serving as a custodian at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Until his death, he spoke modestly, if at all, of the fact he was the recipient of the highest military honor his country can confer.

"I was just glad I was doing my part," he once said in an interview. "I figured it was just a normal call of duty."

The BWAA is proud to name its "Courage in Overcoming Adversity Award" in honor of a true American hero. A veterans group has advised the BWAA that a living Medal of Honor recipient will be in attendance at the BWAA Awards Dinner to present the first Crawford Award.

 

 
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