Baseball Reflections

Book Review: Every Day I Fight

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By the time of his passing, Stuart Scott may have been the most popular and recognizable face at ESPN. And that’s saying something considering the folks they had on staff at the time. Scott was seen by many as the one who made ESPN, SportsCenter and broadcasting in general “hip”, but he was much more than that. In Every Day I Fight: Making a Difference Kicking Cancer’s Ass Scott’s autobiography details his career and his multiple year long fight against cancer.

Written with Larry Pratt, Scott starts the book by explaining why he wrote it in the first place. It’s clear that Scott wanted to get the story of his life out there for the public to know. This certainly includes his cancer fight, but also showed an extremely complex man who many may think had an easy road from just watching him behind a desk in a tailored suit slinging around the phrases he became known for (My personal favorite- “Cooler than the other side of the pillow.” The genesis of which Scott explains in the book as well).

Scott shed light on his entire life. From growing up with a cop as a father, to his relationship with his siblings, to how he fell in love with the game of football and choosing a college. His story isn’t unlike many, but is intrinsically unique in the ways most people’s stories are. Readers will find his early interactions with Michael Jordan almost comical. Jordan and Scott attended the University of North Carolina at the same time and often ran into one another in the dorms, on the court and in the classroom.

Broadcast journalism wasn’t a longtime dream for Scott as it is for many who are in the business. He kind of stumbled upon it by accident in college and decided it was his calling. His first job out of school, he made barely enough money to live off, but it got him a start in the business. One common theme throughout the book is how Scott seemed to forge strong relationships with people no matter where he went. He would lean on them and they would lean on him. Creating great give and take situations that helped him grow both as a person and on the screen.

The latter half of the book focuses on Scott’s cancer journey. It was much longer than I realized and while I had seen the pictures of him working out post chemo, it became clear very quickly that there were many very scary parts of the disease that weren’t made public. Scott doesn’t hold anything back here. He details each diagnosis, each surgery, each conversation, what it was like to have a catheter in his manhood and other specifics.

At the end of the book, Scott recounts the speech he gave at the ESPYs when he received the Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Don’t be surprised if your eyes become moist as Scott recounts his love of his family, friends and of life in general.

Cancer survivor Robin Roberts, whom Scott worked with, authored the forward of the book. Scott also touched on their relationship throughout the work, often commenting on how much they leaned on each other.

The 292-page work was published in 2015 by Blue Rider Press. The hardcover version retails for $26.95.

Baseball Reflections Rating: 5/5

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