Genesis
"The day begins with a grin, and prayer to excuse my sins..."
KRS - ONE - Why Is That?
I watched Game 1 last night as the Lakers cruised to a 25-point win over the visiting Orlando Magic. In the aftermath,I turned to ESPN 2 this morning for further analysis and entertainment. Much to my surprise, instead of talking about the ins and outs of the game...one of the topics on First Take was the authenticity of Kobe Bryant's scowl/game face.
West Side Story
I don't want to drag out the foolishness that I saw on First Take, however I found it interesting that the wrong focus of the game is being portrayed by the media. Everyone knows that in this business perception is reality and that just isn't fair to the athletes. Which leads me to my next point...why do people hate and hate on Kobe? I'm from the school of thought that says you shouldn't hate, or dislike someone that you don't know...besides we shouldn't hate people for no reason anyway.
So to all of you Kobe Bean Bryant detractors, how many of you actually know the man, and have been offended by him?
I wasn't going to write this story because I hear the dumbest reasons why people dislike KB24...let's see:
- He's trying to be like Jordan. Okay so did I, and if you lived in Italy and France as kid, who would you look up to? Oh and to set the record straight Kobe's favorite player is Magic Johnson.
- Kobe is cocky and arrogant. Show me a top tier athlete or business person that doesn't have an edge and I'll show you a person that doesn't excel on an elite level.
- He shoots too much...so what NBA team do you play for, I mean come on...he is the best player in the world.
- Here's a favorite...he's not really from Philly...on the contrary friend, he was born in this crazy city and lived here before moving overseas. If Brooklyn can claim Michael Jordan, then it should be easy for Bryant to recognize Philadelphia and vice versa.
- Kobe said that he is an LA guy and that he doesn't have love for Philly. Okay so this was a quote taken out of context when Jim Gray from NBC asked Kobe about playing the Sixers in the 2001 NBA Finals. And let's look at another fact...his father Joe is a Philadelphia basketball legend (John Bartrum H.S., LaSalle University), Kobe loves his family, and his city.
All in all the brother is talented, and it's sad that people cannot appreciate him for being a basketball player. He won a gold medal for team USA, and he never fails to keep you on the edge of your seat during the season.
I'm not sure if the hate will ever cease but in closing I'd like to issue a challenge to all of you that "cannot stand" him. If you ever cross paths with him, I wonder if you would actually tell him that you don't like him? What if Kobe attended your BBQ or family reunion, I bet you would be the first person in a picture next to him...I've seen it happen.
Everyone has a favorite basketball player, but are they anymore "perfect" than Kobe Bryant...just remember that the media has helped determine a lot of "reasons" why you dislike this man, because just like they are attacking LeBron James right now...they have, and will again go after Bryant.
Live your life, mind your business, and the world will turn.
Peace be unto you.
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3 comments:
Great story, and just like I tell people, just like the media has built LeBron James up, they can't wait to try and take you down. You can look at James high school career when he had the Hummer and throwback jersey incidents and now his recent incident.
A lot of this anymosity towards Bryant now comes and stems from the media and how the media has always placed him side by side MJ and have always continued to compare and contrast their games against each other.
The entire cocky thing is ridiculous because Bryant is just really now opening up more and just because he hasn't always been seeking camera time, doesn't make him cocky at all. I also feel they're confusing his confidence with cockiness.
Christopher it is great that you can see how the media uses athletes and other public figures for their own profit and gain. First they love you, then they hate you, then they love you again...
BAM!
TAKE THAT!
That's all I can say to this one. It had me grinning the whole time I was reading it. I was outside my building before game 2 having the most heated "conversation" about why KB24 is Too damn good...Ahh what a world we live in. Good..no..great one AG.
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