Like many sports-crazed Americans, I was shocked and saddened when I read that Stuart Scott passed away.
The death of the veteran SportsCenter anchor made waves all over on the morning of Jan. 4, from the breaking news desk at CNN to the tiny living room where some friends and I were hanging out.
“Back in middle school, I used to watch the same episode of SC 4 times in a row because Stu’s punchlines never got old,” a friend in Jacksonville tweeted that morning.
Indeed, Scott’s on-air demeanor also made SportsCenter must-watch television for me when I was younger. He was one of the only guys at the Worldwide Leader who, even as time went on, never lost sight of the humor and humanity of sport. It was a lot of fun to watch, and I often found myself agreeing more with his tendency to call Derek Jeter “as cool as the other side of the pillow” than other personalities’ attempts to make the former New York Yankees captain look like a god from Greek mythology.
Knowing that Scott’s off-air personality was, by all accounts, even better than the man we saw on television only made his passing more somber. One of the coolest things in the world is knowing that someone you’ve looked up to is an honestly good person, and I doubt that anyone who’s ever watched Scott regularly thought of him as being fake for the camera. He truly was a fan of the game, and that helped influence my decision to work in sports journalism.
ESPN’s not completely devoid of on-air talent now, but Scott made sports news cool. I wouldn’t have the same level of passion if I had grown up watching ESPN in its current state.
Scott’s passing made me think of the other reasons why I frequently tune in while other people — the “I would rather play the game than watch it on TV” crowd — do not. I always liked watching the athletes but I realized that several of the people who really made me a fan did so from behind a desk.
I think that everyone can tell when they see something truly amazing happen on a playing field, with or without being informed. But when you have the right person telling you what’s happening, it can really elevate the moment in both the short and the long term.
Growing up with Buffalo Sabres broadcaster Rick Jeanneret was a great privilege. I’ll be the first to admit that his voice and style may not be for everyone, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more excited to be at the games. And the excitement that he brings to the mic whenever he can is still infectious, even with the Sabres not doing too well these days. Just ask anyone from Western New York about Jeanneret, and they’ll probably tell you their favorite call. (Mine, which I still like to say when appropriate, is, “Top shelf, where Mama hides the cookies!”)
For unfamiliar sports, listening to the right person is even better. I liked baseball, but my appreciation for the game grew when I found ways to listen to Vin Scully calling Los Angeles Dodgers games. Where guys like Jeanneret wear their enthusiasm on their sleeves, Scully made his mark by making you feel like you’re not just at the game, but sitting right next to him. With over 60 years in the game, the guy has plenty of great stories to tell and has seen some of the most storied moments in the sport’s history. There’s no one like him in all of sports, and he’s a big reason why I began to pay more attention to the finer details of baseball. (My favorite Scully moment, though it’s a little older than me, is his work in the final game of the 1988 World Series. It gives me chills, and can be found on YouTube).
Of course, when you’re spoiled with greatness like that, many changes turn into huge letdowns. My favorite on-air personality of all time, wrestling legend Jim Ross, was so awesome at taking the WWE product (which, I will admit, often became ridiculous) and engaging the audience in every way imaginable. I stopped watching wrestling religiously when he left the WWE, and whenever I stumble upon RAW while channel surfing, I find it almost unbearable to sit through.
I know that Stuart Scott was different from those guys, being a news anchor. But his job was also to keep SportsCenter viewers informed and entertained. And, like all of them, he was so good at it that he helped a lot of people grow to love sports.
When you can watch a great anchor like that, or even a great announcer, don’t take it for granted.