You probably saw the news a couple weeks ago that Stuart Scott, ESPN sports anchor, passed away after a long battle with cancer. Many moving and inspirational things were said about Stuart. He was indeed one-of-a-kind. You could see in the genuine reactions how much respect and love his colleagues had for him. One reaction that really struck me was Cris Carter's. I can't figure out how to imbed the video, but you can see it here, at about 5:10.
"He was a role model for me. He talked, on Sportscenter, like me and my friends talked. He did it his way and was great at it."
That, for me, summed up why Stuart Scott was so revolutionary. Before Sportscenter, sports news was kind of like the other news. The guys on Sportscenter talked about sports like fans, like a bunch of guys just hanging out watching a game. They changed the way sports were covered everywhere. Scott, in particular, brought a unique voice. He wove hip-hop references into his coverage and connected with young people everywhere--urban African-American kids because he sounded like them and young white kids because he just sounded cool. Someone could have--probably did at some point--tell him that he wasn't talking like a serious sportscaster. But he did it his way. He believed in his voice. That's what made him great.