It certainly doesn’t seem like Stuart Scott has been battling cancer for seven years. Time flows by so quickly that every event seems closer to the present than it is in actuality. I can hardly believe the guy is 48 years old now, but to me he still seems young and fresh. He is also as energetic as anyone could be, especially as his body is being abused by a terrible disease along with the medicine used to fight it.
Scott has been with ESPN since 1993, the year after I graduated from high school. He was one of the first anchors I ever saw on SportsCenter, and right away became my favorite. His catch phrases and coolness just made him more appealing to me and many others. My buddies and I would quote him as we played basketball or just anytime that a “Boo Yah!” seemed appropriate. Not many people get a saying going to such a degree as Stuart Scott did with that one.
Last week, Scott was honored at the ESPYS with the Jimmy V award for being such an inspiration in his tooth and nail fight with cancer. His speech is at the end of this post, and is worth your time to watch until the end. Stuart Scott had to work his ass off to get to ESPN in the first place. No one gets an anchor spot on SportsCenter without loads of talent and a great work ethic. Even while sick, he has continued to work on SportCenter, do NFL work, as well as covering the NBA. He is not going to go quietly into that good night. He is working and living at a high level right through his illness.
The man has my admiration for his work as a sports commentator, as a dad, and just a guy. I don’t know a lot about Scott, except for what I see in public, obviously. But from what I can see, he is loved by his family and friends, not to mention respected by his peers. And it is a shame that he has been stricken with cancer. I hate to see any person sick, and it makes it more worse when I know the person, even a person that I only know from TV.
I have known some people who were hit by cancer. Some were able to fight it off and others were eventually overcome by the disease. It seems like a person does better if they keep going with their normal routine when they are physically able. An object in motion tends to stay in motion, as they say. I pray Stuart Scott stays in motion for many years to come. As he said in his speech, you beat cancer by the way you fight it and live with it. I don’t think he could have been a better warrior up to this point, nor lived any better life. He is a big inspiration to many that are cancer survivors, and those of us who are blessed with good health currently. He is a pro’s pro, a man’s man, and to me, he will forever be “as cool as the other side of the pillow.”