Cancer took sportscasting great Stuart Scott last week, his story as well as countless others help inspire us to keep fighting
On Jan. 4, the world lost one of its most influential journalists and someone who has inspired countless sports fans, broadcasters and really any other journalist who embraces his or her own style.
Stuart Scott greeted many of us as we tuned into ESPN’s SportsCenter, and instead of seeing the usual this-is-what-happened-in-the-game, black-and-white commentary of the past, Scott used what many described as “hip-hop” terms.
Big plays would be followed up with a booming “boo-yah,” or, as a running back would slip through the line and break a goal line score, the fans were told to call him butter, because he was on a roll.
Without Scott, sports journalism today would be without the signature catchphrases that convey the energy of sports. His legacy, beliefs, strength and willpower are things I will look up to every day, not only as a journalist, but also as a person.
He showed strength battling cancer three times, while gaining the courage to come back to work, not only when dealing with health problems, but also when facing adversity due to the color of his skin — something I will never come close to understanding.
Scott’s speech at the ESPYs this past summer was the epitome of his strength, using all he had in him to leave a hospital bed and deliver that speech — a speech that inspired all and made us believe that dying isn’t losing to cancer, but that you instead beat cancer by how you live and why you live.
Cancer has taken too many great people far too early, but stories of those who rise above help remind you that with the strength of friends and family and a little bit of hope, you can give anything a shot.
Right now, Kyle MacIntosh, a 23-year-old track and field athlete at Colorado, is fighting a rare form of cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma — a type of bone cancer usually found in children and adolescents.
I have never met MacIntosh, but he is a close friend to many of my family friends. His story has brought my community back in Colorado together in support of him.
With so many people going through hard times in the world right now, we need to rally behind strong people doing big things to achieve an even bigger goal. The inspiration that Scott, MacIntosh or anyone else who is fighting every day should fuel you to do the things you have always wanted but never thought you had the strength to do.
Some things are bigger than sports; to everyone battling cancer, keep fighting.
Paul Holden is a sophomore studying journalism and a sports writer for The Post. Let him know your thoughts about Stuart Scott’s death on Twitter @PaulHolden33 or through email at ph553412@ohio.edu.
