Boo-Ya!

            Today I woke up to an ESPN Alert on my phone saying that ESPN anchor Stuart Scott had passed away. Needless to say that wasn’t the way I wanted to start my day. I didn’t know Stuart Scott, I had never met him, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love the man for what he did. Growing up a major sports fan ESPN was always on my television, it didn’t matter what I was watching as long as it was sports related I was happy. As kids our parents always tried to tell us that we had a bedtime and that we couldn’t watch TV after a certain time. None of us would actually listen to those rules. I can remember so many nights where I’d lay in bed, have my TV on low volume but loud enough so I could listen to the eleven o’clock SportsCenter and more times than none Stuart Scott would be one of the anchors. He was so full of life when doing the highlights and made them fun to watch. His catchphrases were one of a kind and so unique that they made him one of a kind.

            People might have hated on him but it never mattered or bothered him, he kept doing his thing and doing the highlights with passion. "He didn't just push the envelope," says sports radio host and former ESPN anchor Dan Patrick. "He bulldozed the envelope." Scott brought a different swagger to the highlights, he brought a different style which at first wasn’t popular but that didn’t stop him. In today’s age on ESPN, you’ll hear a lot of catchphrases that 20 years ago might not have been highly thought of as good on-air phrases but because he pushed the envelope and wanted to be different, SportsCenter is what it is today.

            The media is a different animal now with the way social media is and how quickly things are put in the airwaves. Sports journalism is something I’m very passionate about and voicing my opinion is also something I take pride in. I might not ever make it to ESPN, I might not be featured in magazines, but I’m always going to speak my mind and if that means being different, so be it. Stuart Scott helped make that possible for journalist; he helped pave the way for a new era of sports journalist and create a culture. He at times added hip-hop references to the highlights and it made the highlights perfect. He made us laugh with his catchphrases. He was a pioneer and brought so much to table, all of which will be carried on forever. Not only everyone at ESPN, but sports fans will miss him in general. Thank you Stuart for making the highlights fun, you always were cool as the other side of the pillow. Rest easy.