Remembering the eloquence of Jack Whitaker

Jack Whitaker / 1924-2019

I spent some quiet time Monday morning reflecting upon the life of legendary sports broadcaster Jack Whitaker, known for his eloquent commentaries, who passed away Sunday at age 95. What a wonderful life Whitaker lived crafting broadcast essays about sports, inspired by writers he admired like Alastair Cooke and Heywood Hale Broun. You have to be of a certain age to remember these masters of the writing craft – and I am of that certain age.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, where he got his broadcasting start after graduating from St. Joseph’s College, Whitaker was a decorated veteran of World War II, fighting in the Normandy Campaign and was wounded by an artillery strike. He went on to a career as a sportscaster with both CBS and ABC.

Whitaker was regarded as “The Talking Head” of sports – long before David Byrne ran with the moniker and named his American rock band The Talking Heads. He broadcast football, golf and horse racing, among many sports. “I know that I’m regarded as The Talking Head,” he once told Sports Illustrated during a 1977 interview. “I’d like to be exactly that and say something that people will remember or get excited about. I’d like to bring sports into the thinking process.”

Jack Whitaker

On the eve of the Kentucky Derby horse race one year, Whitaker waxed poetically about the mood and feeling of one of America’s most iconic sporting events: “America never looks better than on a spring afternoon at the horse farms around Lexington.

“The bluegrass fields and limestone-permeated water has given strength to 81 Derby winners. Just up the road is Churchill Downs in the city of Louisville. In Louisville, America thrives. It was here that Americans discovered how to blend golden corn, barley, malt and rye into bourbon whiskey. It was here that baseball’s National League was founded and where they still make the famous Louisville sluggers. And it was in Louisville that the Kentucky Derby thrived and grew into something beyond a horse race.”

In perusing Whitaker’s obituary in Monday’s print edition of The New York Times, I learned that he “reserved his greatest passion for golf,“ and loved to weave historical imagery into his accounts. 

For instance, in commenting about the British Open at Troon, Scotland, for ABC’s World News Tonight in 1982, he spoke: 

“Through all the years, the British Open has changed very little. The biggest addition has been the tented city, looking like Henry V’s camp at the Battle of Agincourt. Here you can buy among other things lawn mowers, cashmere sweaters and Champagne, which is replacing tea as Britain’s national beverage. But basically the British Open is the same as it was in 1860 when they first played it down the road at Prestwick. Playing in the British Open is like reading American history at Independence Hall or studying opera at La Scala. It’s golf at its most simple, its most pure, its most magnificent.“

Rest in peace, Jack Whitaker. You shared a marvelous passion for sports with us for many years. I’ll remember what you said once about the sport of golf that you loved so much: “Golf accommodates itself anywhere. It travels better than Beaujolais. Golf is the most moveable feast of all.”

On tennis: A few minutes with Sascha Zverev

In art and poetry, the German writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, personality is everything. Perhaps, after watching Alexander Zverev last week, tennis should be added to that list, too.

The 21-year-old from Germany, born to Russian parents, with the rockstar appeal, sandy-blonde mop-top hair, and (as I learned from interviewing him) a wry sense of humor, is currently ranked No. 3 in the world, behind Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, two of the best that the sport of tennis has ever produced. Once again, he’s picking up right where he left off last summer, as one of hottest hard-court players on the ATP World Tour with his sights focused on winning the U.S. Open later this month. The young and mature tennis wunderkind, affectionately known as Sascha, plays with great confidence and authority – not to mention possessing a powerful serve – and, always, with a keen instinct that’s well beyond his years. Although his play at times looks effortless, it’s always entertaining.

On Sunday, Zverev added his second career ATP 500 series championship to his C.V. (which also includes three Masters 1000 trophies) as he successfully defended his Citi Open crown with a straight-set victory over 19-year-old Australian upstart Alex de Minaur, 6-2, 6-4, in Washington, D.C. It was his 41st tour win of the season. Zverev dropped just one set in his five matches, and played with plenty of confidence and authority as he moved about the hard-court surface on the Stadium court at Rock Creek Park Tennis Center, where he was well liked by fans. In the final, Zverev took control of de Minaur from the outset, breaking his opponent in his first two service games. It prompted this comment from de Minaur afterward: “Today, he came out blazing and sort of was too good for me.”

The Citi Open title was the third tour-level title this year for the versatile Zverev to go with trophies he lifted earlier in Madrid and Munich on clay. He’s won nine ATP titles overall, but is still looking for his first Grand Slam triumph.

From observing him during the week against Malek Jaziri, his older brother Mischa, Kei Nishikori, Stefanos Tsitsipas and, finally, de Minaur, I couldn’t help but think that every time the tall (6-feet-6-inch, 1.98 m) and lean (189-pound, 86 kg) Zverev walked on the court, he painted word pictures with his tennis racquet while conquering all who came in his path. It’s worth noting that his ballet-like artistry on the tennis court was simply a thing of beauty that’s worth appreciating. Along with Tsitsipas and de Minaur, Zverev represents the future of men’s tennis.

As Zverev readies to defend his Masters 1000 Rogers Cup title in Toronto this week, beginning with a second-round matchup against the 116th-ranked Bradley Klahn of the United States, one thing that impressed me about him during his week-long stay in the nation’s capital city was how he handled himself during his daily press conferences. Sascha came across as both relaxed and charming – even showing a keen instinct like he does on the tennis court by being quick with his responses to reporter’s questions – and, he exuded a playful side of himself that not many get to witness. I sensed that Zverev enjoyed answering the media’s questions every day as he sat front and center on a raised platform before us, no matter how straight-forward, serious or light-hearted the questions might be. Each time, I came away feeling I learned something new about both sides of Zverev’s persona, as a highly successful tennis athlete and as someone whom many throughout the sporting world idolize.

Here’s a sampling of some of Zverev’s responses and witticisms:

• Asked about his pursuit of Nadal and Federer, the world’s No.1 and No. 2-ranked players: "I don’t think Roger’s too concerned about it. I think he’s somewhere in Switzerland right now enjoying, I don’t know, milk from his cow. From his own cow. ... I’ve said it a few times – Roger and Rafa are still the best out there right now. They are still winning Grand Slams. They are still winning the biggest titles. ... Saying that I’m at their level is something that wouldn’t be fair to them.”

• On handling the pressure of being the defending champion at the Citi Open and being ranked in the Top 5 in the world: “It’s means you come here, you know you have a few points to defend, and you still come out here to win. It’s feels great. It shows, I think, mental strength as well. I think it shows a little bit of maturity. ... It was a fantastic week for me.

“Last year was all just the beginning. This year I’m proving that I’m actually at this level, that I’m playing pretty consistent.”

• Asked after the semifinals, when it was pointed out by a reporter that at age 21 he was the “adult” on the court against the 19-year-old Tsitsipas, and the age of the other semifinalists were 19 and 20, he spit out: “I’m the only one who’s allowed to buy a drink here in the U.S., right?”

• When asked what it’s like being a role model, Zverev quipped: “Am I a role model for you? Well, you can grow a full beard and I can’t, so.”

• On playing his older brother Mischa, Sascha reflected: “I enjoyed the moment. We played great tennis. I think we both played close to our best. I just enjoyed it out there ... as much as I could. I hope everyone else did as well.

“I think knowing each other, that’s why the level was so high. You kind of knew an easy shot, he’s going to go there, I’m going to go there. ... We just had to enjoy the moment as much as we can and the level was pretty high. I played well, and I think Mischa played pretty well also. For us, it was more enjoyment.”

• On who might replace the Big Four of Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, an obvious but necessary question to ask the young World No. 3, Zverev didn’t hesitate when he said: “I think it’s natural that the higher you get in the rankings, the more people look at you, and the more people kind of want to play you and they want to play you at your best, and they want to beat you, no matter what.”

• On being surprised by the success he’s enjoyed at this early stage of his career, Zverev said: “I have put in a lot of work into becoming the player I am. I still am. Of course, I am happy every time I win, but I also know what it takes to be where I am.”

Photo: By Michael Dickens © 2018.

Stuart Scott: Every Day He Fought

"When you die, it does not mean that you lose to cancer. You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live." – Stuart Scott

As an anchor and commentator for ESPN's SportsCenter, Stuart Scott became the face of his network. He was the most popular and recognized anchor of his generation, and arguably the hippest sports journalist ever. As lead host of the NBA on ABC and ESPN, and as a host of Monday Night Football on ESPN, Scott brought a unique spirit and style to each telecast.

Scott anchored his first SportsCenter with Craig Kilborn back in September 1996. He had a thick dark mustache, and "I wore my hair in a type of baby high-top fade, which was all the rage among young black men at the time; short on the sides, long on top." And there was Scott's big, boxy suits. "This is back in the day in the day when suits were boxy, with big shoulders. Now everything is Euro, slim-fit. Back in the day, big and baggy was cool," Scott wrote. Looking back at that clip in 2014, what he saw was this: "a young black man rocking the style of the day. But I also saw something else, something harder for the naked eye to make out. I saw a dude who had been given the freedom to let his voice fly."

Scott became known for infusing his reports with a blend of pop culture references, hip-hop slang, and exuberant phrases – Boo-yah! – that made him something of a pop culture icon in his own right.

Shortly before Scott died of cancer on January 4, 2015, he completed work on his memoir, Every Day I Fight, that is both a labor of love and love letter to life itself. Looking for something inspiring to read, I checked out Every Day I Fight from my local public library – and it has been my reading companion the past few weeks, and I've fought hard to put it down. I highly recommend it.

Stuart Scott's story is a very personal one, and page after page of Every Day I Fight  he bares his soul, sharing his intimate struggles to beat cancer and stay alive. As I read, I can hear Scott's familiar voice that I remember from his SportsCenter days.

In Every Day I Fight, written with journalist Larry Platt, Scott writes about illness and loss with relentless energy. His words are raw, honest and powerful. At times over the top, other times irresistibly sincere – just like his television personality – Scott had this to say for those who praised his fortitude once his cancer became public. "Trust me, I ain't courageous. I just don't want to die." The two simple reasons he didn't want to die: his daughters, Taelor and Sydni.

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"I'd work out three or four times a week, but the most important workout was the one right after chemo. It was like I was proving a point: While you kick my butt, cancer, I'm gonna kick yours."

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Scott was struck by appendiceal cancer in 2007, a rare disease. He fought cancer the same way that elite athletes train in pursuit of a championship – his desire to remain in control of his health, to fight for others who couldn't fight, and to inspire his daughters, who meant the world to him. Scott wanted to be there for Taelor and Sydni, now teenagers, "not simply as their dad, but as an immutable example of determination of courage."

Scott writes: "I needed to do that, not just to show my girls I was fighting for them, but also to show myself I had some control over the situation. 'Cause cancer wants to take control from you. You've got to very purposefully stand your ground. That's what going to the gym is to me. I decide, cancer. That's what going to work is I decide, cancer. That's what traveling all over the country and abroad is. I decide, cancer."

But let's keep this real, Scott wrote. "I'm forty-nine. There's a good chance I'm going to die a helluva lot earlier than I ever wanted to. There's a good chance I'm going to die soon. And I know it. I know it every moment of every day. And that reality is never not with me.

"So this book is a chronicle of my fight against cancer, but it's even more than that. It's really a memoir of a life well fought; in sports, the media, or the cancer ward, the one true thing I've learned is that life is hard but that there is redemption in the struggle."

Scott embraced life and changed lives. His friend and colleague Robin Roberts, herself once an ESPN SportsCenter anchor before ascending to host ABC's Good Morning America, wrote: "Stu's unshakable courage was inspirational. Cancer never defined him; it's not his life's story but rather a chapter in his life's story. You'll see in these beautifully written pages that he set a stellar example for all of us in so many aspects of life. Stu said when you're too tired to fight, rest and let someone else fight for you. My dear friend, you can rest now, and we will continue to fight for you."

Jason Collins: Comfortable in his own identity and skin

Jason Collins in conversation at the Commonwealth Club /
"Now that I have this voice and platform, I want to speak out
for all of the of the gay athletes out there."

At 7-feet tall, Jason Collins easily stands out in a crowded room not only for his height but also for his skin color. Yet, it's his personality and intellect that draws your attention toward him.

Last year, Collins became the first openly gay active male athlete in major American professional sports when he came out in a highly publicized personal essay published in the May 6, 2013 issue of Sports Illustrated magazine.

"Depending on the situation," Collins laughs, "I'm not always the gay one. Sometimes, I'm just the tall one, or the black one. When I turn heads, is it because people know I'm gay, or is it because I'm a seven-foot-tall African-American man?"

Last week, speaking in front of an audience of nearly 600 young professionals at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco for the Commonwealth Club's InForumSF conversation series, Collins shared the stage with journalist Jose Antonio Vargas and spoke candidly for 75 minutes about his journey of self-discovery and self-acknowledgement, and how coming out of the closet in a machismo professional sport powered by super stars like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant has changed his life.

"I just spoke to a group of NBA rookies and I had to explain what LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) stood for." While some in the audience snickered at the ignorance of it all, it prompted Collins to speak up: "It's all about education and exposure. Some guys have had no education and exposure to the LGBT community."

After he came out in April 2013, Collins waited patiently for a phone call from an NBA team who was willing to take a chance on the 255-pound veteran center -- a consummate professional and veteran of six pro teams who's appeared in two NBA finals, and who just happened to be gay. Certainly, there was bound to be one team willing to take a chance on the free agent. Finally, the Brooklyn Nets contacted Collins last February and signed him to a contract for the back end of the 2013-14 season, where he averaged 1.1 points and 0.9 rebounds.

For much of his pro basketball career, Collins has worn number 34, the same number he wore in college. However, after being traded to Boston and later Washington, then signing with Brooklyn, he chose a different number. "I needed a jersey number to go with my new identity," Collins said. "I went with 98 for the year 1998: the year Matthew Shepard died and the year the Trevor Project was founded."

Despite the personal fulfillment he's achieved, Collins believes there's still a stigma of homophobia in the NBA. "I used to hear that kind of talk a lot in the locker room," he said. "Since I came out, I don't hear it at all. Of course, that might have something to do with it being a $25,000 fine now. I tell guys, you don't have to be politically correct -- you just have to find more creative ways of cutting each other down."

Collins says matter-of-factly, at least one unnamed player trash-talked him during a game after he came out. "Yeah, he's a knucklehead. My attitude about that is: I'm going to foul you. Hard."

While some have labeled the Stanford University graduate as the "big brother San Francisco never had," the polite and affable Collins admits that at times he still feels like the new kid in school, still getting comfortable with his new identity and celebrity. He credits a gay uncle for being his personal role model and said that he's garnered moral support from fellow Stanford alums like U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, who was his college roommate, and from Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of President Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton, who was his classmate. He also gives props to prominent gay athletes like Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King for being trailblazers as well as sharing their wisdom and advice with him.

Although he can laugh about it now, Collins confessed to the audience: "I didn't kiss a man until I was 34-years-old." On dating for the first time, he said: "Having my heart broken, something that most people go through for the first time in high school, didn't happen to me until I was 34. There was a lot of accelerated learning curve going on there. The Stanford student in me wants to say: 'Okay, we're going to master this.'"

Before he came out publicly, Collins had been in an eight-year relationship with fellow Stanford alumnus and former WNBA center Carolyn Moos. The two were engaged to be married, but Collins called off the wedding in 2009.

Looking back, Collins said coming out to his family was a positive experience filled with love and respect. He recalled his first conversation about being gay with somebody outside of his family circle happened when he told his long-time agent Arn Tellem. "I called my agent. Now, normally, when a player calls an agent after a trade, it's to fire him. But I said 'I've got something to tell you: I'm gay.' He said, 'Well, Jason, you can still play.'"

While there's still a competitive fire in him, Collins told the audience he's undecided about whether to play another season in the NBA. With a lucrative, multi-million dollar endorsement from Nike, Collins realizes he can be as much a positive impact off the court as on it by speaking out on issues like equality and education as well as sustainability and health and fitness. He has a positive story that's worth sharing with others.

"Now that I have this voice and platform, I want to speak out for all of the gay athletes out there," Collins said. Seemingly comfortable in his own identity and skin, Collins is reaching equality both on and off the court by becoming an ambassador for acceptance and peace. In April, Collins was featured on the cover of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World."

Reflecting on his life as a professional basketball player, Collins said: "Thirteen years is a long career for an athlete. "I used to be able to jump and touch the top of the white square behind the hoop with ease. As the years go by, you watch your hand go lower and lower on that square. Father Time is undefeated against us all.

"I'm really grateful for my Stanford degree now. On the other hand, I can still dunk."

Editor's note: On November 19, Jason Collins announced his retirement from professional basketball after 13 seasons in the NBA.

Photograph of Jason Collins at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco's Castro Theatre by Michael Dickens © 2014.