Stuart Scott documentary reflects sportscaster’s perseverance, legacy
Before Stuart Scott, the expression “Boo-yah” was used to express joy. When he made it one of his catchphrases on ESPN, the phrase entered the sports vernacular.
Director Andre Gaines explores Scott’s impact on the media landscape in his 30 for 30 documentary for ESPN, “Boo-Yah: A Portrait of Stuart Scott,” premiering Wednesday.
“It can easily be reduced to a number of different things, maybe his slogans, maybe his style,” he told the Times. “All of those types of things are very reductive and have the ability to sort of diminish his legacy, but the reality is that broadcasting, before Stu, was very different than it was after Stuart.”
The Times spoke to Gaines about the emotional journey he experienced making the film and capturing the “courage and perseverance” that made Scott a staple of journalism. The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did you decide to open the film with a quote from Stuart Scott about his dreams?
Sheaths: This really had to do with one of the main themes, conceptually, of the film: the fact that Stuart truly believed that one could manifest one’s own destiny. It was part of his belief when he tried out for the Jets, it was part of his belief when he became the icon that he was. It’s something that he really saw, and we have evidence of that through his video diaries that he kept throughout his life that we try to highlight very strongly in the film. So, I wanted to start the film with a quote from him that was exemplary.
Why did you decide to use Scott’s voice throughout the documentary?
Sheaths: I always try to tell my stories from the subject’s point of view. I don’t want other people to dominate the story or tell the story on behalf of the subject. I want the main character to be the person who tells his own story, who tells his own journey, and for Stuart that proved to be a bit of a challenge, just because for so long he was the interviewer and not the interviewee, and there weren’t, particularly in the early years of his life, a lot of interviews to learn from. But after a lot of searching and digging, we were able to find these little gems, either in his personal archives, or in footage that he shot, or in interviews that he conducted, or in interviews where he was the subject of the interview with other people and was able to tell this story. I really wanted to give him the platform to walk with us through the movie and kind of be our spiritual guide that walks us through his journey and let him lead his own series.
Black sports journalists make up less than 34 percent, according to a report from the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. How do you hope this film changes the landscape of sports journalism?
Sheaths: The third of the landscape, in the first place, we owe largely thanks to Stuart. He was very aware of the shoulders of the giants he stood on and understood his place, and once he realized the level of authenticity he brought to a very staid medium, he shouldered that burden by simply continuing to be himself. I hope these numbers continue to increase. The closer we get to equity, the more we honor Stuart’s legacy in the best way possible. Yes, we pay him this tribute. We have the opportunity to see his life in pictures and truly understand his legacy inside and out, and where he began, but ultimately there will always be more work to do.
Many athletes want to be rappers, many rappers want to be athletes, Scott was able to break both worlds by incorporating some of the language into his reporting. How different is the collaboration between these two worlds because of Scott?
Sheaths: What was needed was a glue, something to rebuke and recognize these two realities and how to bring them together. And it was Stuart. It was one of the many things that set him apart. When you look at what Stuart had to endure as a newbie at ESPN 2, and the reason they ended up hiring him, it’s the same reason they ended up trying to crush him. The same reason they discriminated against him and were prejudiced against him. But he was there as a spiritual guide for these two things to come together in such a clear, coherent and harmonious way. We have to give him thanks for so many television personalities we have today because of this. He gets a lot of credit for his fame. He gets a lot of credit for bringing personality to a very buttoned-down, scripted medium. But he doesn’t get much credit for being the excellent journalist he was.
You managed to get a lot of good stories from athletes and their colleagues. What story didn’t make the final cut but still wanted to be made public?
Sheaths: There was definitely a really interesting story about a very, very competitive basketball game between Stuart Scott and Dan Patrick that was pretty incredible, but ended up being cut short. There’s another story about a flag football league that they had at ESPN, and they were playing against local news channels and guys. Jay Harris talks about how Stuart showed up in full pads like it was a real football game. Full pads and goggles, high socks and gloves. It was this level of competitiveness that was ingrained in his soul that showed us what a real fight against cancer really looks like. He was physically battling cancer, physically battling what it was doing to his body, and trying to beat it through diet, exercise, and just a rigorous workout routine. There were a few anecdotes I’d like to add if we had more time, but the essence of those stories ultimately made the film.
You really captured his essence in the film. What does he mean to you as a black filmmaker?
Sheaths: For me, he has always been a North Star. I started my career in journalism, I should say, I went to journalism school at Northwestern University, and Stuart was also a member of my Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. There were a few points that already tied together for me. So when ESPN called me to ask me to do this, it was a thousand times yes. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I always considered him a symbol. It was simply an honor to be able to commemorate this incredibly beloved cultural figure in such a way that she will live on forever, that people can watch her again and again, and come back to relive some of the great moments we all know and love, and learn so much about the real human being behind it all ultimately, someone who experienced trials, triumphs, difficulties, and successes, just like the rest of us. He just had to experience these things on a stage as a public figure.
There is an original Common song in the end credits. How was this song born?
Sheaths: Common and I have known each other for a while. We were working on a TV show several years ago, and he’s just a wonderful human being, an incredible artist, and also someone who touched so many people. I wanted to interview him for the film because I knew he had a relationship with Stuart. We talked and he said, yeah, you know, I’d love to do a song. And I said, you really read my mind. [The song] was just perfectly suited to what we needed for the ending of the film, both solemn and sublime and uplifting at the same time. And it’s a special sauce that he really has among so many musicians.
What do you hope people take away after watching this documentary?
Sheaths: I really hope they are inspired. I wanted the film to be about more than Stuart being defined by the last battle of his life. I wanted him to be defined by his perseverance throughout his life. Before battling cancer, he had to overcome a series of different challenges. And so when the cancer showed up, I don’t think he or his family or anyone around him felt that it wasn’t an obstacle that he wasn’t going to overcome, like he did anything else in his life. But what he showed us all is what true courage and perseverance looks like.
What will Scott’s legacy be in sports journalism?
Sheaths: His legacy should really be looked at in that light, as someone who changed media, someone who changed broadcasts and news for the better. Because now we consider someone to have that level of personality on screen, we take it for granted, but it just wasn’t something that existed before him.
