Dear members,
At last, my time as MMAJA President has come to an end. I don’t mind telling you that I never expected to hold the office for as long as I did. I doubt any of us did, but then a lot has happened over the course of the last year or so that none of us saw coming. It’s been a difficult and tumultuous time for me, both personally and professionally, as I know it has been for many of you. I regret that I haven’t had more time and energy to devote to this association, because I think it deserves that.
When we all started this association together around four years ago, we did so with a lot of enthusiasm. What we didn’t have was much experience with this sort of thing. It’s been a learning process for all of us. At times it’s been slow and arduous. Everything we did, we had to figure out as we went.
What I’m most proud of with this association is how people who primarily knew each other as competitors were able to come together and cooperate when it was most needed. We obviously still have some work to do to achieve our goals and make this association into the positive force we want it to be, but I think we can get there if we work together.
I’m pleased to have Josh Gross taking over as MMAJA President, precisely because I know how passionate he is about MMA media and about promoting a high standard within the field. We’re in good hands, and I look forward to my continued MMAJA membership with these current elected officers at the helm.
The last thing I want to say is that I know many of you have things you’d like to see the MMAJA do or become. I encourage you to get involved and make that happen. The nice thing about an association like this, which is still very new and relatively small, is that each individual can make a significant impact. But that’s only going to happen if you get in there and participate. This association is only as strong as its members. We need everybody’s help to reach our full potential. The only way it’s going to happen is if we cooperate and get it done together.
Thank you for allowing me to serve as MMAJA President. See you around the open workouts.
Sincerely,
Ben Fowlkes