By Lyric Swinton
George Solomon is a powerhouse in the world of sports journalism.
To the wider world of sports, Solomon is best known for his time as the sports editor at The Washington Post from 1975 to 2003 and ESPN’s first ombudsman from 2005 to 2007.
To APSE, he is known as the 2026 recipient of the Jack Berninger Award, an honor bestowed on long-time members who have given exemplary service to the organization. He was previously honored with the Red Smith Award in 2003.
At 86 years old with over 50 years of experience in sports journalism, no ordinary introduction would suffice for a pioneer of George Solomon’s caliber. Two of Solomon’s most well-known former employees from The Washington Post sent in a video message to personally extend their congratulations to the capacity audience at the annual Red Smith Luncheon. Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser’s message was filmed on the set of their popular panel show, ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption.”
The two-minute video began with sarcastic banter. Wilson speculated on whether the award in question was even real, while Kornheiser pointed out that George Solomon ran for APSE office 10 times and never won any of those elections. Once the jokes were out of the way, the message took a much more genuine turn.
Kornheiser praised Solomon’s ability to identify and recruit young talent on the rise. Wilbon called George Solomon “a great editor” whom his employees at The Washington Post were happy to work hard for. Kornheiser couldn’t resist getting an extra jab in and said, “He was able to identify all these great young sports writers, and the only thing he knew about writing was that he couldn’t do it.”
Once the video concluded, Solomon approached the stage to accept the Jack Berninger Award from outgoing APSE president Paul Barrett, receiving a thunderous standing ovation from everyone in attendance. He grabbed the room’s attention with a single opening line, “Well, you notice The [Washington] Post didn’t ask me to speak yesterday!”- a not-so-subtle nod to the panel held one day prior by current and former Washington Post sports staffers following the mass layoffs that took place earlier this year.
“It is a privilege to have been a member [of APSE] since 1975. I ran for election 10 times and lost 10 times. One time I was beaten by a guy everybody hated,” Solomon said, poking fun at his own shortcomings much like Kornheiser said in the video.
Though Solomon’s remarks were brief, he highlighted the importance of APSE and praised the organization for its leadership in the preservation and expansion of sports journalism. He closed his acceptance speech by thanking APSE for the Jack Berninger Award, as well as his former colleagues, Wilbon and Kornheiser, for taking time out of their busy schedules to put together the video honoring him.
“They make me proud, and you all make me proud,” Solomon said.
