“And in what felt like a parallel conversation, there was a remembrance of Bryant as he existed for so many others: another man who hurt a woman and moved on, untouched.”
To be completely honest from the start, I never even heard about this case. The Kobe Bryant I knew was one who was an essentially perfect role model: hard-working, dedicated, focused, and loving to his family. Never would I have guessed that there was something so vile that tarnished his image. Before I get into my thoughts on the case, I would like to say that while I understand the authors points I do think that there isn’t anything wrong with leaving out the negative sides of his life story in trying to remember him immediately after his death. I am not saying that we should forget or ignore what he did, but I do believe there is a time and a place, and while I understand the author’s points, I do feel that to an extent, it is okay to especially highlight his accomplishments rather than slip ups directly after his passing. That being said, what he did is inexcusable and unforgivable. I think that the fact that I never really heard about the case shows something about how well it was pushed to the side and forgotten. I know that celebrities in general tend to get away with a lot, despite being in the public eye. I also know that athletes get away with more, because they have sports teams backing them and trying to change the attention of the public. Combined with the all important goals of winning in sports, it makes it easier to forget when Bryant is always winning more and more and always reaching new heights, creating new excitement. I have no idea how to fix this issue; I have no idea how to ensure that wrongdoers are held accountable. I too had forgotten the sexual assault case of Cristiano Ronaldo, of which I did have previous knowledge. How do I make sure that I hold him accountable? If courts do not and they continue to reach new exciting heights that I can’t help to get excited about, how do I make sure that I remember all facets of them? I honestly do not know the answer. In that sense, I am glad that some people tried to remind the world of the other sides of Kobe Bryant’s legacy. I am glad that some people are dedicated to making wrongdoers pay for their wrongs, but I wish that I could be more like them and remember that some of my heroes aren’t that heroic.
Talking about Kobe’s sexual allegation case after his death was one met with harsh criticism because of how it would stain his image; it wasn’t talked about before because he just retired and people were beginning to truly admire his accomplishments. The point the author was trying to make was that there never was an available “time and place” to discuss his past actions. It always got delayed because of Kobe’s public perception.