After a long battle with cancer, The GoodNews Notebook extends its sympathy to the family of Stuart Scott, veteran ESPN Anchor. Stuart Scott, affectionately known as “Stu,” who passed away this Sunday morning at the age of 49. This vibrant TV personality that coined the term, BOO-YOW, stole our hearts in last year’s ESPY Award as he stated, “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.”
We, at GNN, would like to capture the elements of his GoodLife that propelled him to success both on and off the set. We remember Stuart Scott as…
The African-American. ESPN knew enough to have sportscasters who represented 45 million Americans, not to mention 80 percent of the players in the NBA and 70 percent of those in the NFL. What we didn’t know, until Stuart got here, was how important it was to have someone who could relate to them.
“He was a trailblazer,” says ESPN anchor Stan Verrett, “not only because he was black — obviously black — but because of his style, his demeanor, his presentation. He did not shy away from the fact that he was a black man, and that allowed the rest of us who came along to just be ourselves.”
“Yes, he brought hip-hop into the conversation,” says Harris, “but I would go further than that. He brought in the barber shop, the church, R&B, soul music. Soul, period.”
Some of his best moments on the air came when he adopted the persona of a preacher: “Can I get a witness from the congregation?!” And one of his best moments off the air came when a producer suggested he change a reference on his NBA show from Omega Psi Phi, the fraternity of Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal, to something more universal, like Animal House.
“I have friends who have no idea what that movie is about,” Stuart told him. “That movie was made two decades ago, and black fraternities have been around since 1906.”
The Poet. “Listen to his lead-ins,” says Buccigross. “They’re thoughtful and precise, really well-constructed lead-ins to a news story or big game or moment.”
Yes, he would reference Tupac, but he also would quote Shakespeare: “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
And occasionally, he would bust out his own poetry, as he did for this jam on Michael Jordan’s 50th birthday on Feb. 17, 2013:
the best ever … a CLEVER phrase we OVERuse …
when mere greatness becomes our MUSE …
or artistic inspiration … but the real celebration
of “best ever” is an ENDEAVOR
into MORE than GREAT! WAIT …
didn’t you see the tongue wagging …shorts baggy …
practically DRAGGING teammates to 1-nc2a … 2-gold …
brotha I was sold when he won 6-NBA rings …
but the THING that makes “best ever” SING …
not scoring titles and-MVPs,
the double nickel that sliced the knicks at their knees …
the 63 he put on Bird … Larry Legend sayin’ PLEASE …
is that GOD?
The Father. “His girls mean everything to him,” says Harris. “I mean his girls mean everything to him. He would easily take Stuart Scott, dad, over Stuart Scott, ‘SportsCenter’ anchor.”
“He’s a great, great dad,” says Ramsey. “He just takes so much pride in the girls, and you can’t see him without him taking out his phone and showing you a video of Taelor or Sydni singing or dancing or playing soccer.”
Occasionally, Stuart would give a shout-out to Sydni’s soccer team, but that was easy compared to another commitment he made to his daughters. “His daughters and my daughters danced at the same studio,” says Anderson. “One year we went to their performance of ‘The Nutcracker.’ And here comes Uncle Drosselmeyer, and I thought, ‘That man looks a lot like Stuart Scott,’ and it was — he was there for his girls. I’ll never forget him coming out in this big cape, swooping in with his nutcracker, and he was great. I’m not sure the dance steps were up to Baryshnikov, but certainly the intentions were.”
Again, we honor the GoodLife and legacy of Stuart Scott. He inspired his colleagues with his sheer talent, his work ethic and his devotion to his daughters, Taelor, 19, and Sydni, 15.
Rest In Peace. Boo-Yow!
SOURCE: ESPN. http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/12118296/stuart-scott-espn-anchor-dies-age-49
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