By Will Zhang
On January 4th, the sports world was shocked by the news of the passing of longtime ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott. Stuart, who had been working at ESPN since 1993, passed away at the age of 49 after his long battle with cancer.
Before Scott joined ESPN in 1993, ESPN was seen as a very professional sports broadcasting station. Their style of broadcasting at the time was similar to national news station. The only issue with this type of broadcasting was it mainly appealed to a white demographic and it lacked flair. ESPN’s style of news didn’t appeal to the African-American and young demographics. Stuart Scott, born in Chicago, IL and raised in North Carolina, brought flair to sports broadcasting at ESPN that had never been seen before. The way he talked and the passion he expressed when he talked appealed to the younger generation. His style, blending hip-hop culture with sports, and his use of catchphrases, such as, “Booyah” and “Cooler than the other side of the pillow”, had never been seen before and drew a lot of attention. Many people were welcomed this breath of fresh air, others felt that his style of reporting was not appropriate for journalism. Nevertheless, Stuart’s presence at ESPN, propelled it to a new level.
As the years went on, Stuart Scott’s role at ESPN grew, hosting numerous shows and interviewing some of the biggest stars in sports. It seemed like nothing could stop him, that was until in November of 2007. After feeling stomach pain during the hosting of Monday Night Football, he was tested for cancer and was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer. He underwent several surgeries and chemotherapies to remove the cancer. The surgeries and chemotherapy successfully removed the cancer.
The cancer returned on two more occasions once in 2011 and a final time in 2013. Stuart Scott was a fighter. During the 2014 ESPY Awards, he was awarded the Jimmy V Award for his fight against cancer. During his acceptance speech he delivered an inspirational speech about his battle with cancer saying:”When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.” He lived by this quote during his over 50 infusions of chemotherapy, living his life to the fullest. After each treatment, he would do Mixed Martial Arts, this helped keep his spirits high and fight through the pain. He continued to anchor at for Sportscenter on ESPN during his treatment. He did the best he could to hid the fact he had cancer. Many watching could not even tell that he had cancer.
By the end of 2014, the health of Stuart Scott continued to deteriorate, suffering from both liver and kidney failure. On January 4th, 2015, Stuart Scott passed away at the age of 49. The sports world rallied behind Scott’s family wish them their condolences. Many of Stuart’s closest friend’s delivered heartfelt goodbyes to the 49 year old. Stuart Scott will forever be remembered as the man who revolutionizes sports media. He was a trailblazer for not only for the African-American community, but for a new style of sport journalism. ESPN and sports in general would not have been the same without him. Rest in Peace Stuart Scott.
