Public Speaking Analysis on Stuart Scott's Speech at the Espys

Analysis on Stuart Scott’s Speech at the ESPYS

Joshua R. Lumpkins

CIS 110, University of Kentucky

Abstract

I watched a video on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JO_TkUzLcw. In the video Stuart Scott, Former ESPN sportscaster and anchor, gave a speech upon receiving the Jimmy V Preservation Award at the ESPYS. I analysed the speech to figure out what audiences  it was directed towards, what effective communication methods were used, and what communication skills could be improved on. I finalized the paper by explaining why it matters to understand how to communicate effectively in order to get the point across.

        Keywords/Phrases: Jimmy V award, ESPYS

In 2014, Stuart Scott was given the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the ESPYS. The ESPYS is an award show that gives out sport-related awards. The Jimmy V Award is an award given at the ESPYS to a member of the sporting community that overcomes great obstacles. The award was named after Jimmy Valvano, who was a coach and broadcaster who was diagnosed with cancer. ESPN’s former anchor and sportscaster, Stuart Scott, was given the award because he was diagnosed with cancer; instead of giving up against a disease that even if beaten is almost certain to come back, Scott pressed on and gave people hope, showing everyone that no matter what you can continue to live on. Upon accepting the award he gave a powerful speech that was approximately 7 minutes.  

        When writing the speech, Scott had many audiences to consider. One audience he probably considered while making the speech is (tense?) people that are struggling with cancer. The impact this could have had on his speech is shown when he says, “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.” The impact is evident here due to his repetitive diction of the word “you.” He talks directly to that audience through this, telling them that you can beat cancer. This is a very effective means of getting his message across. Although this is an important target audience, it is not the only one. Another audience he considered is the family viewers at home. It is clear that this audience affected his speech because he talks about his own family to make the viewers at home connect and relate to him in order to get them to engage with what he is saying. Probably the audience that most obviously impacted his speech is his own family, more explicitly, his daughters. This is made completely transparent in his shoutout where he says, “Taelor and Sydni, I love you guys more than I’ll ever be able to express.”