Dear Readers:
When I began my career as a sports journalist in 1980, the Pittsburgh Pirates were the reining World Series champions, and Team USA was about to shock the hockey world with their Miracle On Ice victory over the Soviet Union – and eventual Gold medal – at the Lake Placid Winter Olympics.
A lot has happened in the world of sports over the past 46 years, but one thing hasn’t: my commitment to covering local sports. In fact, I am extremely proud of the fact that no one, during my career to-date which has spanned parts of five decades, has dedicated their life to writing and talking about sports in London and area more than yours truly.
In 1980, I wrote for my high school newspaper, the Montcalm Tribune, worked part-time at 1410 CKSL Radio and even penned a freelance opinion piece on high school baseball for The London Free Press. I’ve written for every major newspaper chain in Canada, worked as a freelance contributor for CTV and Rogers Television, and since 2004 have published and edited LondonOntarioGolf.com, the Voice of Golf in Southwestern Ontario. When this web publication, LondonOntarioSports.com, London’s Trusted Source for Sports News & Information, launched in 2015, we then began to publish LondonOntarioGolf.com in its entirety.
My life as a disabled athlete has been well chronicled. I’ve excelled in high school sports, coached and pitched with the London Majors of the now-defunct semi-professional Intercounty Baseball League, and later worked as a golf professional and brand ambassador.
There comes a time in your life when it is, indeed, time for changes, and for me, that time is now. My disabilities demand it, as does my long tenure as a journalist – a career that has no off button, only a constant eye on breaking news. Therefore, as a reader of LondonOntarioSports.com, you’ll see changes now and in the future. Rest assured, we will remain committed to covering local sports through our pages. But moving forward, we’ll rely even more on our community for providing content. After close to half a century of attending local sporting events, it’s time to write -30- to most of those efforts.
I’ll certainly miss covering local major and minor sports, but I’ll dust off my press cap now and again in order to take in major live events. But we’ll rely more on you, the reader, for our content.
One thing that will not change, though, is our industry-leading golf coverage. LondonOntarioGolf.com is The Voice of Golf in Southwestern Ontario for a reason: no one covers the sport like we do. It’s why Canadian Golf Hall of Fame media member Bob Weeks once quipped, “No one covers golf in Southwestern Ontario like Jeffrey Reed.”
Moving forward, in addition to providing continued golf coverage, I’ll spend more time public speaking at sports and non-sports events. And, the prestigious LondonOntarioGolf.com Heart Award (est. 2011) will remain at the core of our commitment to the local golf and sports community. It has been a part of our $160,000-plus in local charitable giving over the past two decades.
We’re very proud of the Best of London Golf Award, this year presented to RiverBend Golf Community, as well as the LondonOntarioSports.com Community Spirit Award, presented in 2026 to Fanshawe Conservation Area, and the LondonOntarioSports.com Milestone Awarded, to be presented to long-time sports official and umpire Joe Serratore in April.
And, of course, the Jeffrey Reed Courage Award (est. 2016) has created a legacy honouring local athletes who have excelled and beaten the odds of adversity on and off the playing field. In April, we honour junior golfer Bryce Burridge with the Courage Award, and present long-time media member Ryan Spence with the Heart Award. Moving forward, as we end all but the Heart Award presentations after 2026, we’ll remain proud of how we have honoured members of our local sports community with the four other awards.
In conclusion, LondonOntarioSports.com and LondonOntarioGolf.com will remain the No. 1 online destinations for local sports and golf fans. After all, a sports journalist is who I am; reporting on local sports is not just my job. It is, in fact, a love affair that continues.
So thank you for your loyalty and support. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Reed
Publisher & Editor
LondonOntarioSports.com & LondonOntarioGolf.com
