Written By Jeffrey Reed
Legendary sports broadcaster Bob Costas once quipped, “They say that sports don’t matter much. And if they’re talking about what’s on the scoreboard, then in the end, they’re right. But the people matter. And the memories they let us share matter.”
You may think Costas spoke of athletes like Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby or New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge, but in fact, heroes playing for our home teams also create memories that last a lifetime. And that’s precisely why publications like The Middlesex Banner matter when it comes to recognizing how, in part, we define ourselves as a community.
In 1979, when I launched my career as a sports journalist, local sports mattered the most to me. They still do. In fact, much of my career spanning parts of six decades has been dedicated to telling stories about our local athletes, teams and personalities. As much as prolific author Pierre Berton spent a lifetime bringing Canadiana to life, I’ve also found joy in celebrating local sports.
The Middlesex Banner (est. 1996) is celebrating its 30th anniversary–by today’s media standards, a huge accomplishment. Times have changed. Social media dominates the news spotlight, yet traditional media like this newspaper continue to offer critical venues for credible storytelling. When I came on board in 2025, I welcomed the opportunity, as I do today, to write about sports and leisure which affects and hopefully interests the Middlesex County community.
A number of sports milestones occurred in ’96. Tiger Woods turned pro with his “Hello, World” media conference. The Yankees, with American League rookie of the year, shortstop Derek Jeter, ended an 18-year drought with a six-game World Series win over the Atlanta Braves. The Colorado Avalanche swept the Florida Panthers to win their first Stanley Cup. Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls ended a historic regular season 72-10 before beating the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA finals. And Canadian Donovan Bailey won the men’s 100 metre gold medal in a then record-time 9.84 seconds.
Here at home, nothing compares to the 1995-96 London Knights season when reminiscing about the launch of The Middlesex Banner in ‘96. That year, the Knights completed the worst season in Ontario Hockey League and Canadian Hockey League history–3-60-3–playing at the renamed London Ice House, formerly the London Gardens. With much recent success under brothers Dale and Mark Hunter, we see how greatly things can change.
Hopefully, in another 30 years, publications like The Middlesex Banner will be around to continue telling local stories. Because as Costas said, memories matter most.
Award-winning writer Jeffrey Reed has covered Middlesex County sports since 1980.
He is publisher and editor of LondonOntarioSports.com. Reach him at
jeff@londonontariosports.com.
