Stuart Scott left an impact on many aspiring journalists (Huffington Post)
STUART SCOTT'S LEGACY
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Stuart Scott was more than just a SportsCenter anchor
1/6/15 |
F*ck cancer.
Excuse my language, if you will. I usually don’t say anything that extreme, especially here on this website. But when one of your idols is taken away from you from a disease that saps as much strength away from you as cancer does, it had to be said.
Stuart Scott was one of the few people I looked up to as a journalist, especially from a young age. He made watching SportsCenter fun to watch, and while relatively easier than making non-sports news fun, it’s not an easy task to accomplish. This was mainly through his enthusiastic catchphrases. Of course everybody knows “Boo Yah!” Others included, “like gravy on a biscuit it's all good” and “can I get a witness from the congregation?” My personal favorite was “as cool as the other side of the pillow.” I would always watch SportsCenter, especially in the summer when I didn’t have school, but if I knew Stuart Scott was on, I’d pay even more attention.
What was even bigger for me is that Stuart Scott looked like me.
I know everyone won’t get that. But to me, guys like Bryan Burwell, J.A. Adande and especially Stephen A. Smith and Stuart Scott gave me hope, from a young age, that I could be on ESPN. My career path hasn’t always been straight and it relatively isn’t still. I haven’t gone through college or the vast majority of my life yet. I’m only 18. There’s still a lot of room for change to take place. I thought early on that I’d be a two sport athlete – hasn’t really worked out in my favor so far – then a sports agent – not great with math, so no – and finally a sports journalist. I always knew I wanted to do something in sports, however, and watching professionals that looked like me master their craft was inspiring.
That’s Stuart Scott’s lasting legacy. He has inspired an entire generation of upcoming sports journalists to march to the beat of their own drum and be creative with their work. He’s certainly done that with me.
Rest in peace, Stuart Scott. You will always be as cool as the other side of the pillow.
Excuse my language, if you will. I usually don’t say anything that extreme, especially here on this website. But when one of your idols is taken away from you from a disease that saps as much strength away from you as cancer does, it had to be said.
Stuart Scott was one of the few people I looked up to as a journalist, especially from a young age. He made watching SportsCenter fun to watch, and while relatively easier than making non-sports news fun, it’s not an easy task to accomplish. This was mainly through his enthusiastic catchphrases. Of course everybody knows “Boo Yah!” Others included, “like gravy on a biscuit it's all good” and “can I get a witness from the congregation?” My personal favorite was “as cool as the other side of the pillow.” I would always watch SportsCenter, especially in the summer when I didn’t have school, but if I knew Stuart Scott was on, I’d pay even more attention.
What was even bigger for me is that Stuart Scott looked like me.
I know everyone won’t get that. But to me, guys like Bryan Burwell, J.A. Adande and especially Stephen A. Smith and Stuart Scott gave me hope, from a young age, that I could be on ESPN. My career path hasn’t always been straight and it relatively isn’t still. I haven’t gone through college or the vast majority of my life yet. I’m only 18. There’s still a lot of room for change to take place. I thought early on that I’d be a two sport athlete – hasn’t really worked out in my favor so far – then a sports agent – not great with math, so no – and finally a sports journalist. I always knew I wanted to do something in sports, however, and watching professionals that looked like me master their craft was inspiring.
That’s Stuart Scott’s lasting legacy. He has inspired an entire generation of upcoming sports journalists to march to the beat of their own drum and be creative with their work. He’s certainly done that with me.
Rest in peace, Stuart Scott. You will always be as cool as the other side of the pillow.