I didn’t realize the impact that Stuart Scott had on my life
until today. Initially when I read on my
phone this morning that he had died, I was deeply saddened. As I listened to
his old highlights, a thousand memories rushed in my head of late nights
watching Sportscenter after basketball practice or a workout at the gym. I
remembered watching Sportscenter with my brothers or friends, ditching class in
high school or at a sleepover. I remembered taking study breaks in college listening
to Stu give highlights of the day’s events, giving me a much needed breather
from a cramming session for a test that I should have been studying for weeks
for. All of these memories are great, but it
wasn’t until I had a chance to watch a few of the tribute videos that ESPN made
that I truly realized that this man, whom I’ve never met, has had an actual
impact on the kind of life that I lead today.
Whenever I received an assignment in school to make a poster
or a presentation on what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said I wanted
to be a sports anchor (just ask my Mom, she probably still has the posters in a
box somewhere in her house). The main
reason behind this was initially my love of sports. But Stuart Scott made me
want to be like him, and do what he did. ESPN did a great job in their tributes
outlining what he was able to do for the industry of sports broadcasting in
terms of bringing a new style and flair, and reaching a new audience that hadn’t
been reached previously. This is all great, but to me, Stuart accomplished more
than simply reaching a new audience of television viewers; I wanted to be like
him. He didn’t care what people thought of him, he was flashy and he was brash.
He was clearly confident, but never cocky.
Although I didn’t end up as an anchor on Sportscenter, I
feel like I bring that same confidence, flash, and flair to my job every day. I
want to be the best at what I do and I want to be myself doing it. Until today,
I hadn’t realized that Stuart helped me gain some of these traits that have
shaped (in part) the confident person I’ve become. Seeing his confidence even
as he became as weak as he did towards the end of his life was truly
inspirational. His final ESPY speech to me goes down as one of the most
inspirational of all time, especially considering the fragile state he was in
at that time. I aspire to have that same confidence and motivation to conquer
whatever life throws at me, however hard and debilitating it may be.
So thank you Stu. To me, you will forever be “as cool as the
other side of the pillow.”
- Taylor
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