BIG SCOOP
For Black History Month, BT Sports broadcast a programme in October 2022 featuring Spoken Word Artists performing pieces about black sporting icons.
One of the Artists -Big Scoop- did a piece (called ”Unsung Hero”) about Jack Leslie- and Jack’s grand-daughters were in the invited audience to hear the debut performance.
Big Scoop’s performance that night is available here.
The Jack Leslie Campaign and Jack’s family were so amazed and delighted, they invited Big Scoop to perform as special guest at the unveiling ceremony– and Big Scoop accepted, travelling from London on his first ever trip to Plymouth to wow the crowds from the stage outside Argyle’s stadium at Home Park. His performance was also live-streamed, and can still be seen on you-tube here. (at 31 mins 45 secs in)
You can follow Big Scoop on twitter @BigScoop_ and on Insta
Now Big Scoop has provided us with the words from his piece, reproduced below with his kind permission.
UNSUNG HERO. Words by Big Scoop
Now a lot of you may not know who this is so all I ask is please just try and hear,
Coz I may not be an speakers salesman but I’m putting you on to a pioneer.
This man excelled in the world of football which took his team to a higher tier
In a sense he held back but still showed when you stay grounded your gonna take of like Ryan Air,
In 1901 he was born in canning Town and his first team was barking,
He knew how to score had pace and was wizard at passing,
As a defender you couldnt day dream coz he was a night mare marking,
I mean this man was no joke but if he was on your team you was laughing.
And when he left barking he had silverware but he was just getting started,
You could say that he came from the mud coz right there where the seed was planted,
He wasn’t just known for his skill
But when he joined Plymouth argyle thats seed uprooted and we saw him grow on the field.
At Plymouth argyle a star was born
A black professional footballer in those days wasn’t the norm,
In truth he was the only one and that fact just can’t be ignored,
He played in the 1920,s and that fact still has me floored,
he took his window of oppurtunity and used it open doors.
In 1925 he got that England call and im sure he was loving the fact
But what should be a joyous occasion was about to be taken back,
His name would soon dissappear from records and the irony is he never heard Jack
But we’re talking the 1920s he got denied coz he was black,
And the truth is he could of called a wrap
But he chose to stay in his lane and keep his carrer on track,
This man is a unsung hero, who’s life had such a impact
And for that I take my hat off too him coz he really should of been capped.
but he still left his mark and showed his world class pedigree,
He retired a legend at Plymouth argyle it was there he created a legacy,
And the one thing testament to that fact is the board room is now named in his memory.
This is a man that needs to be recognised
But let his legacy be a reminder that race should never be weaponised,
He played in a time before broadcasting but since then the revolutions been televised.
Big Scoop.