ESPN Designates December 4 ‘Stuart Scott Day’ To Honor The Beloved Sportscaster
“Boo-yah!” Stuart Scott will have his day.
ESPN is designating Monday, December 4 as “Stuart Scott Day” in honor of the beloved SportsCenter anchor, who lost his longtime battle with cancer on January 4, 2015, at the age of 49, The Wrap reports.
The network announced Monday (Nov. 25) how the day’s celebration will include frequent content of Scott’s love of life and perseverance through his fight with cancer, according to The Wrap.
“Stuart Scott Day” is a part of ESPN’s annual “V Week for Cancer Research,” which runs from Sunday (Dec. 3) through Dec. 14, The Wrap reports.
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“This year, we celebrate our dear friend and colleague, and the 2014 Jimmy V Perseverance Award winner Stuart Scott, by honoring his courageous spirit to ‘Fight Like Hell,’” ESPN Corporate Citizenship Vice President, Kevin Martinez, said in a statement, The Wrap reports.
When ESPN launched ESPN2 in 1993, Scott joined the network and quickly became a staple among sportscasters. He was diagnosed with cancer in November 2007 and fought that 8-year battle until his passing in 2015.
The year before, at the 2014 ESPYs, Scott was honored with the Jimmy V Perseverance Award and delivered an unforgettable speech about resilience and hope.
“When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live,” he said during the speech. “So live. Live. Fight like hell and when you get too tired to fight then lay down and rest and let somebody else fight for you.”
Before his career at ESPN began, Scott was a proud brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. at the University of North Carolina’s Mu Zeta chapter, which he joined in 1984, Watch The Yard reported at the time of his death. Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity was founded on December 4 in 1906, making ESPN’s decision of December 4 as “Stuart Scott Day” even more special.
In an interview in the book The Divine Nine: The History of African American Fraternities and Sororities by Lawrence Ross, Scott recalled one of the biggest lessons he learned while pledging, Watch The Yard reported.
“One time, my dean of pledges asked me if I could do ten one-handed pushups. Being the athlete that I am, I jumped to the task and knocked them out,” he said in the book.
“He then asked my line brother whether he could do ten one-handed pushups. He couldn’t,” Scott continued. “The dean then turned to me and explained this fact: No matter how skillful I might have been, I was only as strong as the weakest link on my line. I have used this lesson throughout my professional and personal life to remind me that I must always help out the weakest link. I’ll never forget that.”
