I'm starting to get a bad taste in my mouth over the way this thread seems to be turning into a competition between Stuart Scott and Jim Valvano...both men deserved respect for the things they did, and the tragic way they died...but this is a pretty good example of what Mr. Gage is referring to when he talks about blowing up JimmyV and downplaying Scott.
Valvano was a slightly better-than-average coach prior to joining the ESPN talking heads. A career 209-112 record that, while respectable, would get you fired after 2-3 years at any of the truly elite basketball schools like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, or my alma mater's beloved Kentucky Wildcats, his one claim to fame was a Cinderella story national championship at North Carolina State. His team wasn't expected to do much that year, and really never came close to doing it again in later years. He arguably didn't become *really* recognizable until *after* he joined ESPN, with his energetic, enthusiastic on-camera personality and, sadly, for the incredible way he dealt with the cancer that ultimately took his life and set him up for one of the most memorable speeches in the history of television.
Scott was a pioneer in sports broadcasting, becoming one of the first stars of a network at a time when the highest level that people of color could aspire to was still as a secondary reporter, or a panelist on a debate-style show where you needed a little "flavor" in the mix, so you could talk about basketball without appearing racist. And, without a doubt, he quickly became one of the most interesting and popular guys on the biggest network in the world dedicated solely to sports.
But, both men had merit, and deserve respect, in life and most definitely for our purposes here, in death. There's no reason one has to "better" or more worthy of accolades than the other.
Doug Fields
Tampa, FL
---------- Original Message --------
Subject: [TV orNotTV] Re: So long, Stuart Scott
From: JW <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, January 05, 2015 5:35 am
To: tvornottv <[email protected]>
> I really think you're going out of yourOne made a significant impact on the court before latching on with ESPN, while the other was just another talking head. Like you, "I don't begrudge his friends from missing him or eulogizing him or for ESPN for marking his importance in its history," but ESPN's history is (or at least should be) less important than the history of what they cover.
> way to blow up the achievements of
> Jimmy V and to downplay those of
> Stu Scott.
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