As cool as the other side of the pillow

January 4, 2015 9:21 AM

Stuart Scott, ESPN anchor, died today at age 49.

I'll never forget when one person went up to Stuart and me and said, 'Hey, wow, Stuart Scott!' Then the guy looks at me and goes, 'And the white guy. I love you, the white guy!' And Stuart laughed so hard because it sort of confirmed his belief that he provided me with street cred."

Stuart Scott changed sports journalism as a SportsCenter anchor by insisting on being himself, as an African-American.

"He was a trailblazer," says ESPN anchor Stan Verrett, "not only because he was black -- obviously black -- but because of his style, his demeanor, his presentation. He did not shy away from the fact that he was a black man, and that allowed the rest of us who came along to just be ourselves."

At the 2014 ESPYs, Scott was awarded the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. In his speech, he said, "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."

posted by misskaz (68 comments total)

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posted by Doc Ezra at 9:24 AM on January 4, 2015

Boo
Yah.

Boo
Hoo.

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posted by chavenet at 9:25 AM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

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posted by SisterHavana at 9:25 AM on January 4, 2015

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i just blubbered like a baby over rich eisen's announcement of stuart scott's death. even if you happen to be in this threat but don't care at all about sports, this is a beautiful and touching look into a deep friendship.
posted by nadawi at 9:26 AM on January 4, 2015 [39 favorites]

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posted by riverlife at 9:29 AM on January 4, 2015

Scott really was a trailblazer. And not just for the way he genially, charmingly sort of insisted on his blackness, but in the steady way he simultaneously established that did not need to be a Big Deal. He was also a trailbalzer in a broader sense for the effect that had in breaking the mold of how TV Sports People are supposed to talk. He had his own personality and not only did that not get in the way of him as an anchor, it made him better.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 9:30 AM on January 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

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posted by lord_wolf at 9:34 AM on January 4, 2015

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Part of my growing up was waking up, hanging out stuart scott on sportscenter while eating cereal before school. It was a great way to start the day.
posted by lownote at 9:36 AM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

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I had never heard of Stuart Scott until this morning, and I know I am the poorer for it.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:42 AM on January 4, 2015 [8 favorites]

I remember when he was the local sports guy at WESH in Orlando. He and the Magic kinda appear at the same time in my memory. And then while I was in college he graduated to ESPN and that was awesome.

I met him once while working on projects for ESPN and he was warm and friendly. I have countless friends who did serious work at ESPN and to a person they all have talked about the fact that he was amazingly decent to everyone on the campus - didn't matter if you were a big shot or a lowly grunt PA, he'd take the moment to recognize you and your work. For "talent", that's mind blowing that they can still be human.

And if you haven't watched the Jimmy V speech, do so, really - even if you don't know who he is.
posted by drewbage1847 at 9:47 AM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 9:52 AM on January 4, 2015

Holy crap. I never knew about the cancer, though I did notice Stuart looking emaciated of late. Fuck cancer.
I'm really not much of a sports fan, but Stuart was the guy who made it worth my while to watch Sports Center. A huge, engaging talent.


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posted by Thorzdad at 9:52 AM on January 4, 2015

RIP, Mr Scott.
posted by jonmc at 9:53 AM on January 4, 2015

The man was truly as cool as the other side of the pillow. Peace out Stuart Scott.

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posted by msali at 9:53 AM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

Stuart Scott was the keynote speaker at my graduation. I wasn't even planning on attending, but my friends dragged me out of my dorm and made me buy cap and gown and go to the stadium and by God I'm glad they did, because it was way better than I expected, partly due to Mr. Scott's speech.
posted by infinitewindow at 9:56 AM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

I ain't gonna say nothin', but that ain't right.
posted by bruceo at 9:57 AM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

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I'm sad to learn a vibrant voice as Scott's is no longer part of the sportscasting community. May he rest in peace.

Regarding the headline quote "As cool as the other side of the pillow", the first time I'd encountered a version of this quote is in Donnell Alexander's essay "Are Black People Cooler Than White People?" in Shiny Adidas Tracksuits and the Death of Camp and Other Essays from Might Magazine published in Aug 1998.

In that essay, Alexander writes "Cooler than the other side of the pillow" which was published in July/Aug 1997.

In 1998, Scott challenged the accusation that he " 'stole it from a movie' ", claiming " 'I first thought that and said it on my first job … I just liked it.' "

I appreciate the regard for Scott's eloquence and verbal wit (of which I've only learned today as I am deeply ignorant of the world of sportscasting), and I do wonder if Scott is the first person to use this delightful turn of phrase.
posted by mistersquid at 9:58 AM on January 4, 2015

He was the soundtrack of my college years: in my dorm rooms, in the campus cafe, in the off-campus housing, SportsCenter was on repeat all day long. I'd get ready for classes listening to Scott. I'd doze between classes listening to Scott. We'd cheer over the highlights after dinner listening to Scott. I appreciate him for the ways in which he changed SC and for being, by all accounts, a classy guy. He will be missed.

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posted by TwoStride at 10:01 AM on January 4, 2015

I loved this: Spoken Word

I had no idea he was battling cancer for years. He must have been unbelievably tough.

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posted by Golden Eternity at 10:01 AM on January 4, 2015

While Patrick and Olbermann made SportsCenter into SportsCenter, it was Scott who made ESPN into ESPN. It's nearly impossible to overestimate his impact on the entire sports television industry. Truly a titan.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace.
posted by ob1quixote at 10:09 AM on January 4, 2015

What a wonderful beautiful man. I am so heartened that there are such amazing people and things happening that I have/had no idea about. It gives me courage in this sad world.
posted by eggkeeper at 10:12 AM on January 4, 2015 [3 favorites]

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posted by eriko at 10:23 AM on January 4, 2015

I remember seeing an interview with him back in the 90s (I want to say it was on Letterman, but I'm not really sure), where he described receiving a letter saying "either speak the King's English or get off the air." He always seemed to want talking about sports to be both smart and fun. I have the same approach, and I'm glad he stayed loyal to his own style.

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posted by dry white toast at 10:27 AM on January 4, 2015

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posted by teleri025 at 10:29 AM on January 4, 2015

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posted by ZeusHumms at 10:36 AM on January 4, 2015

For a while I thought he was just a catchphrase machine but one day it just hit me that this guy really loves sports, athletes, and talking about the game.

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posted by surplus at 10:40 AM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

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I'm an infrequent (couple times a year) view of SportsCenter, but I always found Scott memorable and funny. RIP.
posted by wuwei at 10:52 AM on January 4, 2015

Patrick and Olbermann gave Sportscenter breadth, and once that audience was in, Scott gave it depth.

I didn't always appreciate it back then, now I do.

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posted by splen at 10:52 AM on January 4, 2015

I watch SportsCenter every day; and have for years, starting in middle school. I don't have cable anymore, but I do have friends who do are considerate enough to, uh, allow me to continue to have access to ESPN and the related channels. Participating and watching sports is, and always has been, such a big part of my life.

I was watching this morning, as I got home from work and turned the tv on and went about my day with the anchors talking excitedly in the background about my Panthers winning and then there was a significantly long commercial break. I thought maybe it was lag time. But when the screen came back to the set and the anchor had tears in her eyes I knew what had happened. And I started crying too.

Stuart Scott graduated from my high school in the early '80s, and I graduated from RJR in 2001. To see all the old yearbooks, you had to take Introduction to Journalism; it wasn't the most interesting class, so I always assumed people took it for the same reason I did, which was to learn more about the history of the school and take the tours to the fourth floor and into the catacombs that were civil defense shelters and to see the yearbooks.

We always had a "Class Day" for the seniors a few days before graduation, where they would have skits and have their picnic and all of the things that you look forward to throughout 4 years of high school. Class Day for the class of 2000 started with a bang, and the school was packed into the old auditorium (before its most recent renovation) and we were laughing and hollering as they skewered the teachers and administration and each other, and then a door on the far side of the auditorium opened and everyone went silent. There was Stuart Scott! Walking towards the stage! The noise was immediately deafening and everyone jumped to their feet. He took the podium and started talking about his time at Reynolds and how fortunate we were to have received an education there and even made jokes about some of the teachers that Just Wouldn't Retire and how we had such a strong foundation to become whatever kind of people we were to be and do whatever we were called to do.

I don't remember the specifics of his speech; and I doubt there is any footage in the days when no one had cameraphones or GoPros or what have you, and I have no idea if he was invited or if he was just in town and decided to stop by. I didn't get to meet him personally, but I know that speech had more effect on me than any of the graduation speeches I've been to in a cap and gown since, and maybe more than a lot of what I have heard in the fire service.

I'm thankful he stopped in that day.

I have been trying to follow him as he's been difficult to find over the past few years, fighting cancer 3 times. I watched his speech at the ESPYs. He was commentating a football game a few months ago, and I thought he just looked so small. Not weak, mind you, but small. Not a worry; his personality would make up for his wasting, I thought. They mentioned him yesterday during the games, saying that other commentators were filling in for him, almost as if they were expecting him to get back to the field or the court once this round of fighting was over.

Good luck and Godspeed, Stuart, from the Top of Society Hill.
posted by sara is disenchanted at 11:03 AM on January 4, 2015 [23 favorites]

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posted by Cash4Lead at 11:33 AM on January 4, 2015

When I was a seminary student at Duke University, a few of us watched him every day together in the Rathskeller, and then quoted him all afternoon. He was just so much fun, and it was so inspiring to us to see someone who was doing exactly what he was put on Earth to do, and loving it so much. So many good memories. Rest in peace.

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posted by 4ster at 11:34 AM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

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posted by 0 at 11:51 AM on January 4, 2015

Transcript of Stuart Scott's Commencement speech:
posted by basketballandinternet at 12:05 PM on January 4, 2015

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posted by idb at 12:22 PM on January 4, 2015

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posted by box at 1:03 PM on January 4, 2015

In 2003, I still lived in Brazil and had only ever watched ESPN Brasil or ESPN Desportes, so I was unfamiliar with any of the American ESPN personalities. That year for Christmas, my then-boyfriend/now husband got a Playstation and a game, NBA Live. He played the HELL out of that game, so I got to hear Stuart Scott say "cool as the other side of the pillow" over and over again. I thought that was the corniest thing ever, but my husband said that it was part of Stuart Scott's charm and that he was beloved by American sports fans for his own unique take on sports broadcasting.

Now I live in Chapel Hill, where Stuart Scott is part of local lore. There's a restaurant on Franklin Street (our main drag) called Spanky's, where the walls are covered with drawings of local luminaries. Stuart Scott is right up there with the likes of Dean Smith and Michael Jordan as the pride of Chapel Hill.

So I've got a soft spot for Stuart Scott, and I knew he was sick, and I saw how painfully thin he had become when he accepted his Jimmy V award on the Espies last summer. I appreciated his speech and teared up when I saw his youngest daughter come on stage in her bare feet to give him a hug. He was a good guy. He'll be missed.
posted by msali at 1:37 PM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

Wow, I left a passion for sports a few years ago, when I felt it all got so..., wrong. Sort of grew of age during his tenure on Sportscenter...all the cool phrases I'd hear at the gym or on the court the next week. Part of an entire cultural shift. SC brought a lack of taking it self seriously while attempting to take over the world. I always felt he was above the concept of race defining him, which even in death follows him. A black sportscaster. Sad. I never even knew he had cancer.
posted by sfts2 at 1:40 PM on January 4, 2015

Oh, and


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posted by sfts2 at 1:41 PM on January 4, 2015

I always felt he was above the concept of race defining him, which even in death follows him. A black sportscaster. Sad.

Why sad? From everything I've read about him today, he was very proud of his blackness being part of his work. Many people don't buy into the "colorblind" idea because they know how important it is to reflect their identity in the work they do, because they know who's watching them. That inspires people. Stuart Scott seemed exactly that type of person. RIP.
posted by girlmightlive at 2:29 PM on January 4, 2015 [4 favorites]

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posted by MCMikeNamara at 2:39 PM on January 4, 2015

Watching that Rich Eisen video seems almost intrusive. I understand that he likely felt strongly that he was going to deliver the news himself, but at the same time he's telling us while he's still processing the news himself, and for whatever reason I feel like we're just intruding on him at this time.

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posted by anastasiav at 3:02 PM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

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posted by arcticseal at 3:02 PM on January 4, 2015

Just sad he died gml.
posted by sfts2 at 3:34 PM on January 4, 2015

seems almost intrusive

Nah, it's just real human emotion, something most news broadcasters are completely devoid of, especially when telling us that somebody died, even if they were close with them.
posted by ReeMonster at 3:41 PM on January 4, 2015 [2 favorites]

I also recommend (with reservations, because it's heartbreaking) watching the video that starts with Hanna Storm at the top of this story. Hearing Chris Carter and Keyshawn Johnson talk about how Stuart gave them a model for how to be a sportscaster without giving up their sense of self really brings home his influence. (Personally I find the Ditka and Berman parts kind of hard to watch for their smarminess, but the rest is worth it.)
posted by misskaz at 3:51 PM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

rich eisen is doing some of scott's catchphrases during the game recaps on the nfl network right now.
posted by nadawi at 5:42 PM on January 4, 2015

and his co-hosts are being very supportive. are there onions in here?
posted by nadawi at 5:43 PM on January 4, 2015

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posted by drezdn at 5:44 PM on January 4, 2015

they just had a round table conversation about stu. i can't believe eisen is still working this many hours later.

eisen teared up again. this is a wild postgame show.
posted by nadawi at 5:55 PM on January 4, 2015

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posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:58 PM on January 4, 2015

Eisen might *want* to work, and hang out with guys that knew Stuart, and understood what it worked. . There ain't no right way to grieve.
posted by DigDoug at 6:03 PM on January 4, 2015

oh i wasn't trying to say there's a right or wrong way, just that it seems tough. sorry if it came off as judging, not my intent at all.
posted by nadawi at 6:07 PM on January 4, 2015 [1 favorite]

A quick transcript between me and my fiancée who unfortunately had to go into work today:

Me: Aww man, Stuart Scott passed away! :-(

Fiancée: Who is that again?

Me: Boo Yah

Fiancee: oh no! I loved him!

Mr. Scott was appointment viewing in my 20s and great background noise in my 30s. I didn't realize how groundbreaking he was until I watched that ESPN obit video. What a man. Blessings be upon his daughters.

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posted by MarvinTheCat at 7:29 PM on January 4, 2015

I watched the Hannah Storm video first, and i found myself crying halfway through. When it cut to Berman, I lasted about thirty seconds until I turned it off. It just seemed so false, so perfunctory. I scrolled down to the Eisen video and was crying again. whoever reached out at the end to give him the pat on the shoulder, I wish I knew how to articulate how meaningful that was to me, and how I wish I'd had that while watching the video.
posted by Ghidorah at 7:48 PM on January 4, 2015

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posted by fizzix at 8:43 PM on January 4, 2015

“The greatness of Stuart Scott,” J.A. Adande, ESPN, 04 January 2015

“Michael Wilbon Remembers Stuart Scott”—SportsCenter, 04 January 2014
posted by ob1quixote at 11:40 PM on January 4, 2015

I was only aware of Mr. Scott in passing but that video from the ESPYs made me all teary and now I wish I had watched more tv.
posted by djeo at 5:03 AM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Eisen.
posted by box at 6:01 AM on January 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

I've been keeping Stuart Scott in my thoughts since I heard about his cancer recurrence a few months ago. 49 is too young. His kids are too young. But you can't ask for a much fuller life than he had. RIP, Mr. Scott.
posted by muddgirl at 7:57 AM on January 5, 2015

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posted by allthinky at 8:13 AM on January 5, 2015

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posted by tonycpsu at 8:14 AM on January 5, 2015

I watched the Hannah Storm video first, and i found myself crying halfway through. When it cut to Berman, I lasted about thirty seconds until I turned it off.

I'd recommend powering through or skipping past Berman because it's worth hearing what Tom, CC, and Keyshawn have to say about Stu. Skip Ditka though, he's even worse than Berman.

That clip of Eisen doing the highlights and paying tribute to Stuart by calling them with Stuart's phrases is great, but god damn if I don't want his colleagues to SHUT THE FUCK UP and let him do it, instead of repeating/trying to interject.
posted by misskaz at 8:15 AM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

That clip of Eisen doing the highlights and paying tribute to Stuart by calling them with Stuart's phrases is great, but god damn if I don't want his colleagues to SHUT THE FUCK UP and let him do it, instead of repeating/trying to interject.

I was just coming to comment on that. It is easily the most annoying part of modern-day sportscasting. This isn't Fox News, let the guy do the highlights.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:29 AM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Not only that, but this specific highlight package was a tribute to a colleague and friend he worked with for decades!
posted by misskaz at 8:44 AM on January 5, 2015

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posted by dawkins_7 at 12:03 PM on January 5, 2015

i was watching that entire show, not just the clip, and honestly, while i too wish they would shut up for that part, it seemed like they were actually helping him get through it. he had almost broken down a few other times before they got to that part and you can hear his voice catch a time or two. it's a gregarious bunch all the time, to be sure, but i really do think they were doing it out of support.
posted by nadawi at 12:16 PM on January 5, 2015

I watched part of both Mike & Mike and SVP and Russillo this morning. Both discussed Scott's death.

I was really impressed with Mike Greenburg's professionalism. You could from the look in his eyes tell he was barely holding it together in some portions, but he kept it between the ditches when he was on the air.

Van Pelt had worked closely with Scott for a long time, as they were a very common pairing on SportsCenter. His "One Big Thing" segment was very affecting.
posted by ob1quixote at 2:27 PM on January 5, 2015

“Stuart Scott's Courage”—Olbermann, 05 January 2015

“Stuart Scott's First Sportscast”—Ibid.
posted by ob1quixote at 3:02 PM on January 5, 2015 [1 favorite]