Kobe Bean Bryant

Kobe Bean Bryant

Introduction

Kobe Bean Bryant was a professional basketball player in America. He joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a shouting guard directly after high school and played his whole professional career with the Los Angeles Lakers. He won several trophies, including five NBA championships, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), among other accolades. Nevertheless, on January 26th, 2020, along with his thirteen-year-old daughter, and seven others, Bryant was killed in a plane crash. Career and life of Bryant in association in American popular culture has been evaluating the roles of races, gender, and class in the mass production as well as consumption of American culture.

The death of the basketball icon Bryant reminded Americans of who he was both as a man and a professional athlete. He meant a lot to many people in his 20-year career and his three years as a businessman and storyteller, but above it, all people have not forgotten that the legend as a black man. From the dressed to how he played to what he meant to the population of black basketball fans, the legend has always been a black man since he started his professional career. Bryant’s blackness has always been a source of debate and contention over since he was a high school player.

As his father confirms, Bryant was not a stereotypical black person since he was young. Since he was young, he was found playing with whites freely. However, during the post-Michael Jordan NBA and the coming of the new era of the 2000s, Kobe Bryant becomes the opposite of the league’s current, brash, hip-hop era. It was at this time where marketers and media personalities considered him ‘clean-cut’ and handsome compared with other players of the time in the NBA, especially the cornrowed and heavily tattooed guard Allen Iverson from Philadelphia 76ers. Compared to Iverson, Bryant’s challenges the perceived ghetto stereotype of most players in NBA and was often accused of functions as the ‘de facto white man’ of the league. He bared none of the gold jewelry and tattoos that several of his peers wore. While Kobe Bryant pottered in hip-hop like Shaquille O’Neal and Iverson, Bryant’s lyrics were more of early Black Eyed Peas compared to N.W.(Avila, 2018). For this reason, reporters highlighted Bryant’s incorporation of the Italian Linguistic into his music, alienated him from the athletes who are rappers. Those who are close, as well as those that are far from the legend, set him out to be different from others.

However, as Eric Avila (2018) puts it, culture is like war, and it is similar to politics. For some people, failed to see Bryant as black enough. Some people condemn him because he failed to marry a black woman, while others claimed his Afro was too nappy. Similarly to Jordan, they accused Bryant of failing to speak out on about social issues terming him as a sellout (Kasson 1978). Moreover, his class status alienated him from other black celebrities early in his career. Some of his peers said that they could not relate with Bryant due to his upbringing as the son to the player in NBA and a suburban child. This made Philadelphia accept Iverson as their own compared to Bryant, notwithstanding Iverson growing far away in Hampton, Virginia. Although Bryant failed to acknowledge the questions about his blackness outwardly, it was clear he knew of his reputation. Bryant, along with his wife, were clear about their associations to Mexican American and blacks culture. In one of his interviews, Bryant claims that he does not react to something because he supposed to and because he is an African American. He further said that the argument does not make sense to him, saying that people should desire to advance as a culture and a society. Also, he is founding responding on the issue of him failing to visit the State House because President Donald Trump demonized athletes who protested the unchecked conduct of the police. Bryant viewed the whole issue as a matter of trust, as well as standing on what one believes in. He believes that the beauty of a country is people speaking out freely about what they believe.

Bryant’s opinion among segments of white and black people seemed to switch in 2003 in the summertime. On June 30^th that year, Bryant purportedly assaulted a 19-year-old white lady who worked at the front desk of the Eagle County hotel in Colorado. Regardless of the positive change, Bryant had on the sports; some people did not forget about this sex scandal of sexual harassment. At first, the legend denied having any sexual contact with the lady but later highlighted the incident as consensual. In this case, a lady accused Bryant of assaulting her in the hotel room. Initially, he was charged, but then a week before the trials, the lady agreed to dismiss the case as long as Bryant issued a public apology. On Bryant’s side, he claimed that the incident with the woman was consensual, but the lady did not perceive the incident as he did not. Some people feel that this case should be part of his legacy (Deloria, 2004). This led to an arrest of a reporter who tweeted about the incidence after his death. However, the case was resolved out of court after she was given some amount of money and threw to the police semen-stained cloth at police asked for his clothing. From this scenario, some people believed the act was out of arrogance.  Some people feel that adding this incidence in his legacy will help the public clear out the ‘lousy air’ surrounding his legacy as a rapist. This would help the public convey their opinions on both sides of the case from Kobe Bryant, and the accuser and what had transpired to Bryant and what he claimed had happened. Nevertheless, this story should not be emphasized that much, for it is good to remember more of the good things a person.

On the other hand, no one is perfect, and therefore, it is polite to highlight some Bryant weakness instead of giving him all the praises for his contribution. This case should be included in his social life so that the audience can decide for themselves what kind of a person he was based on his defense statement. Although the mentions of the case should have been included, much emphasis or details on the case should not be provided since Kobe Bryant is deceased and cannot defend himself from the allegations. Since the case never went to trial, vague details on how the events transpired should be published as intimate details could ruin Kobe Bryant’s image, and he is no longer there to defend himself from the allegations. Finding a way to reconcile the fact that Bryant was an important athlete to the black community and the fact that the white critics are rushing to remember the negative news about the athlete becomes a dilemma.

Conclusion

Nonetheless, early 2020 with his daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers were involved in a helicopter crash, which cost all their lives. Talk show hosts and sports analysts wept openly and spoke of lost friendship. Professional sports are like other popular cultures in that they are a complex image conglomeration and inspiration, marketing and money, aggression, and ambition. Therefore, people should be aware of cultural ideologies and repel cultural idolatries. Also, people should realize that parts are more than their idolatrous sum.

References

Avila, E., 2018. American Cultural History: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Kasson, J.F., 1978. Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the turn of the century. Macmillan.

Deloria, P.J., 2004. Indians in unexpected places. University Press of Kansas.