Goodbye, Stuart Scott

Stuart Scott died on January 4, 2015 at the age of 49. Courtesy of creamsocial.com.

Stuart Scott died on January 4, 2015 at the age of 49. Courtesy of creamsocial.com.

January 16, 2015

After a long and courageous battle with cancer, Sports Center correspondent Stuart Scott passed away on January 4, 2015.

Stuart Scott started working for ESPN in 1993 and stayed with the company till his death. Courtesy of boston.com.
Stuart Scott started working for ESPN in 1993 and stayed with the company till his death. Courtesy of boston.com.

Scott joined ESPN2 in 1993 in the hopes that the network would appeal to a younger audience. Scott captured the sports world with his hip hop style and clever catch phrases like ‘cool on the other side of the pillow’ and ‘booyah.’ Stuart Scott covered MLB, NFL, NBA, and interviewed athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan when he first started. After the turn of the century, Scott was involved in everything: New Year’s specials, NBA and NFL coverages, along with a interview with President Obama.

In 2007, while covering a Pittsburgh Steelers game, Stuart Scott had an emergency appendectomy which later revealed cancer. A follow up surgery was done to remove some of his colon and lymph nodes by his appendix. Scott’s cancer returned in 2011 and was in remission until January 14, 2013 when the cancer appeared again.

Scott accepted the Jimmy V award at the 2014 ESPY's due to his extreme perseverance while battling cancer. Courtesy of bleedingcool.com.
Scott accepted the Jimmy V award at the 2014 ESPY’s due to his extreme perseverance while battling cancer. Courtesy of bleedingcool.com.

Due to his extreme perseverance, Stuart Scott won the Jimmy V award at the 2014 ESPYS for his fight against cancer. Scott stunned the world during his acceptance speech because of his optimistic view on life so close to death.

“When you die, that does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live,” said Scott. “So live. Live. Fight like hell. And when you get too tired to fight, lay down and rest, and let somebody else fight for you.”

During his 8 year on and off battle with cancer, Scott had undergone 58 infusions of chemotherapy and touched the lives of thousands.

Scott stayed positive and active during his treatments and often used the hashtag #LIVESTRONG. Courtesy of Stuart Scott's twitter.
Scott stayed positive and active during his treatments and often used the hashtag #LIVESTRONG. Courtesy of Stuart Scott’s twitter.

Stuart Scott certainly touched viewers at Susquehannock High School as well. Senior Jakob Kramer will miss the presence Scott brought to his small screen.

“Stuart Scott brought a lot to ESPN. He brought hip hop and a lot more fans since he was one of the first black commentators,” said Kramer. “When I was young I would watch him everyday as I still did until he died. It really hurt [me] when he died because he was my favorite anchor on ESPN.”

Senior basketball player and enthusiast Aaron Portner is also a regular with the ESPN network and thinks the network will struggle with their image now.

“He was the face of Sports Center,” said Portner. “You just can’t replace him; he’s been there for 21 years.”

As for the legacy that Scott has imprinted on the world, senior Nathan Houser believes that he left people inspired.

“He brought a whole new era to broadcasting and commentating for sports in general. Just the enthusiasm he brought for life and especially to sports being a way for him to challenge himself and become a better human being throughout his struggle with cancer over the years,” said Houser. “It was just really inspiring to see someone strive so high.”

Stuart Scott tributed the success to his fight to his two daughters. Courtesy of houstonfamilymagazine.com.
Stuart Scott tributed the success to his fight to his two daughters. Courtesy of houstonfamilymagazine.com.

At the age of 49, Stuart Scott left behind his two daughters Taelor, 19, and Sydnei, 15, along with his inspiring story that touched the hearts of many. The correspondent wasn’t just a role model to his daughters but to many Americans because of his brave fight against cancer and the path he paved for African American sport commentators.

Speaking on behalf of the world, Stuart Scott, you will be missed.