Stuart Scott’s willingness to be different, and real, kept this man watching SportsCenter every day.
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At 49 years of age, Stuart Scott is dead.
His seven plus year battle with cancer finally came to an end.
But he didn’t lose. Upon receiving the Jimmy V Perseverance award at the ESPYS earlier this year he shared this in his speech:
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer,” he said.
“You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”
I grew up watching this guy for hours each week. I would sit in front of the TV mesmerized by his witty vocab and his willingness to truly be different.
So what did he leave behind for us? What legacy and lesson(s) did he leave the millions of admired sports fans that are currently deeply saddened by his loss?
While he’s certainly gave me permission to invent my own dialogue, Stuart stood for something greater. He embodied a quality that I believe we are so desperate to have in our own life.
That quality is simply this: Being Yourself. Being the HIGHEST and most CAPABLE version of yourself and BECOMING the person that you were put on this planet to BE.
That’s who Stuart Scott was….
And when I heard his ESPN colleague and cancer survivor Robin Roberts share the words below, I couldn’t help but to reflect on his legacy.
“Change…..What does it look like? How does it sound? What does it say? At a time when what we saw, heard and watched at ESPN was the same… He wasn’t. Stuart Scott….He was a new voice for a new time.”
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Stuart wasn’t just an sports anchor. He’s a symbolic reminder of truth of how meaningful our lives can be when we are true to who we are. He was willing to courageously explore what it meant to show up fully as himself and his life is a powerful 49—year example of this.
We begin to live fully when we decide to make up words (Boo-Yah) and create our own rules.
Stuarts life is a reminder that no challenge is a reflection of whether you win or lose.
But rather, it’s how, why, and in the manner in which you live.
Scott embodied the qualities that I believe that all men desire to have. Truth, integrity, transparency, authenticity, and a light-hearted perspective on life. He danced outside of comfortable and was willing to push the limits of what’s possible.
“He didn’t just push the envelope,” says sports radio host and former ESPN anchor, Dan Patrick. “He bulldozed it.”
Boo-Yah….
It was his catchphrase. His own form of language that brought me to the screen for at least an hour everyday. It was his willingness to be different that would inspire me to watch the re-run that followed.
It was his ability to see that life is what you make of it that allowed me to see him as more than just a news anchor. He was an inspiring leader, guide, storyteller, father, colleague, friend, rule-breaker, boundary-jumper, and truth-teller.
He was willing to take a bold step forward in the face of fear.
Thank you Stuart Scott.
Thank you for being you and changing the world in the process. Thank you for the reminder and permission to continue being all of my self.
That is what change looks like and sounds like.
RIP Stuart Scott (1965-2015)
You are deeply missed.
“@SportsCenter: @StuartScott inspirational speech accepting the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. » http://t.co/wEjHhss09v pic.twitter.com/OGlGNQxVEg”
— Stuart Scott (@StuartScott) July 18, 2014
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Photo: Twitter/Stuart Scott