If we were handing out an award for career excellence at the BSM Summit in New York this week, maybe Adam Schefter would have an easier time accepting. Instead, we selected him to receive the Champion's Award. Each year, we give it to someone that has gone above and beyond to make a difference for others. That doesn't mean producing great ratings or selling out every single spot, but doing something to truly elevate the sports media community.

Adam Schefter used his huge reach on Twitter to amplify the fundraising campaign for Parker Dickerson. Jeff, his father, passed away in December after a battle with cancer. It was the second parent Parker lost to the disease.

In Schefter's mind, all he did was hit the retweet button. As donations started to roll in from around the NFL and across the country, it was clear his more than 9 million followers were paying attention.

"The fans, teams, owners, players – the entire NFL community that helped make this possible – those are who we should all recognize and give our appreciation to. It is their generosity that will help Parker for years to come," Schefter told me via email on Monday night.

Parker Dickerson's aunt started a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $100,000. Her goal was to set Parker up for his future. By the time the event was done, the goal had been met more than eleven times over.

ESPN 1000 in Chicago was first to elevate awareness of the page. The station's hosts knew Jeff Dickerson well. He was part of the radio family. His friends and colleagues were going to do all they could to take care of Parker, who had already lost his mother in 2019.

Jeff Dickerson and Adam Schefter didn't really know each other. Both men were aware of each other through reputation. It was those public declarations of love and grief that moved Schefter to make sure as many people as possible knew about Parker's loss and needs.

 "I didn't personally have a relationship with Jeff; however, he was part of the ESPN family – the ESPN NFL family," Schefter said. "I was touched by everything I heard about who he was as a son, a father, a colleague, a friend, and more. As a colleague and a Dad, my heart broke for his son, Parker. It was all the people in the social media community, mainly Chicago but everywhere all across sports and the country, that stepped up and made a difference."

When asked how he felt when he saw that he had helped raise awareness in a way that helped so many people push the total over $1 million, Schefter kept it simple.

"I was in awe of their generosity."

On Wednesday, March 2, the sports media industry will gather in the Anne Bernstein Theater in Times Square for the first day of the 2022 BSM Summit. That is the day Schefter will receive the Champion's Award.

Those in attendance will see Schefter thank the industry for the honor, but it will be by video. The NFL scouting combine will have ESPN's NFL insider more than preoccupied. Every GM and coaches from around the league will be in Indianapolis, and Schefter literally could not even consider being anywhere else.

"I refer to this time of year as the NFL's second season. Interest in the league's ongoing day-to-day news cycle has never been higher. So we will provide fans as much insight and news as we can over the next several months as we ramp up to the NFL Draft."

Congratulations to Adam Schefter and thank you to everyone that donated to or helped elevate the fundraiser for Parker Dickerson. The Champion's Award is an honor that is all about doing something good for the sports media industry. It is a pleasure to hand the trophy to someone that has used their platform to do something important for a kid that really needed it.