Category: Blog 11/17

I remember when Bryant passed away hearing about this sexual assault case from a friend. It was shocking, and though I still showed respect to his passing, when I told family members about this I was scolded. Mostly because they wanted to honor him, but as the author of this article said,”We can hardly talk about the strange pain of knowing someone in these ways—a loving father, a supernaturally talented athlete, and an alleged rapist—in life. Why should it be different in death? ”

Many people idolize Bryant, and I’ve realized this allegation is seen as a burden on his legacy, which is completely wrong. This is a rape allegation, it is serious and should be seen as such. It should make you take a second and really understand who the person is the your idolizing.

Kobe Brant is amount a small select view of people that had the privilege of having such a big impact on the world. His ability to play the game on and off the court enabled him to inspire many people and also enabled him to have such a significant voice in society. Although this may be true, the late Kobe Bryant was also part of another select view. He embarked on a horrid action in 2003 that should have ended his career. In sports this seems to be the case way too often. Player involvement in sexual assault and rape is extremely common, but for whatever reason had low implications for Kobe. Why, you may ask? In sports and frankly in life, people that are in places of power seemed to be viewed as above morality. Since they are “winners” and since Kobe is the star player, he is able to get away with the rape of a young women. This so called immunity that people in power have, from abiding by the rules of society is beyond me. In my opinion, if you are given the spotlight then you should have to act like you deserve it on all fronts.

Kobe’s lack of ethics and morality is one feature that, in my opinion, should discredit his other good features. Even though I truly admire Kobe’s work ethic and killer attitude, it’s extremely significant to understand that he is flawed and even though he is a great basketball players, does not mean he has the right to get away with those flaws. If he was not as good of a basketball player would he still have that immunity? That is the burning question that no one wants to know, but everyone needs too.

This was a shocking piece to read. I had no idea. One half of me is surprised and other half is not as surprised. I did not expect Kobe Bryant to be the aggressor of a sexual assault case, however, I did expect this situation to be covered up considering his popular status. One main quote that stuck to me is how “we compartmentalize the people we love or admire” and “cling to myths about “monsters” and “good guys.” I agree with these statements because I think I have either seen or been a part of it. We have a hard time associating the ones we admire with harmful actions because of this over-protectiveness we develop towards them. We often reply with “this is not true” or statements that are somewhere around these lines during these type of situations. Another quote that stood out to me was “They become footnotes to the legacies of great men.” I believe society almost shames or “mute” the victims of sexual assault especially if they are victims of well-known figures.

“As with so many other powerful men, it was rare to see these two things—beloved men and the harm they’ve done—held in tension for very long. So this ended up being a story about Kobe Bryant and a story about us. How we compartmentalize the people we love or admire.”

This quote in particular stood out to me because a lot of people, including myself, fail to acknowledge the harm that some of these great men have inflicted on others. Most of us take these superstars, such as Kobe and Ronaldo, for who they are to us and judge them according to what we see them do on the court and field, respectively. We begin to idolize them to the point where we begin to disregard and dismiss anything that seems to tarnish their image and reputation. We need to be more open-minded and remind ourselves that we do not have access to their personal lives and can not take them solely for what they do on the court.

While reading the article “A Legacy of Incoherence” by Amira Rose Davis, my jaw dropped when the author explains how Kobe Bryant raped a 19-year-old woman in 2003. Before reading this article, I did not even know the events that occurred. I was left wondering why I never heard of it. I wonder if it was because I was so young in 2003, as the events unfolded. Then I began to consider if it was just swept under the rug because Kobe was one of the biggest basketball stars of all time. Another portion of this article that stood out to me was that when Kobe retired from basketball it was not considered the time to talk about the rape case. The reasoning behind it was because it was meant to be a time of celebration. I disagree with this idea. Even though Kobe should be celebrated for his success in basketball, the woman he raped does not get to pick and choose when she thinks about the events. Instead, she is likely plagued with trauma every day. Why should Kobe be given the luxury to refuse to talk about it or think about it? Another piece of information presented in this article that I was unaware of was that Black Mamba was created as a direct response to the sexual assault case. Since I did not know this information, I wonder if those who posted about the Black Mamba on social media in the aftermath of his death knew this. 

“Earlier this week, on the side of a building in Austin, Texas, an artist painted a mural in remembrance of Bryant. That same night, someone added the word “rapist” next to his face. Almost as soon as it appeared, it vanished. Painted over. Muted. A glimpse of the legacy Bryant leaves behind.”

After reading this article I started to see the bigger picture on this topic. It is not right to focus entirely on someone’s faults during their commemoration but it is also true that we must not purposely ignore the unjust things people did in their lifetime. Obviously, when people think of Kobe, they think of one of the all time greats in the sport of basketball and it is truly terrible how his life ended and that if we can learn anything from this incident, it is that we should really live the moment and enjoy the time we have with people in the present. I know this is broad, but no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. No one is ignoring what Kobe did but defaming a mural of remembrance for a person who inspired so many with one of the faults of his past is completely unnecessary and inappropriate. We have to ask ourselves what kind of people or society we are as a whole if we cannot get over the imperfections of a person’s past and look at that person’s life achievements with an honest heart. The actions of the individual who wrote over the mural with the word ” rapist ” are nothing more than those of a troll and someone who is too insecure with themselves that they must focus on the most negative aspects of a person who inspires so many people. You can do so many great things in your life and still be remembered as a shameful figure by many narrow-minded people. At the end of the day a person’s legacy must not be torn into for its faults and has to be greatly appreciated for how it has changed the world for the better.

Disclaimer: I might be missing the point here.

Unlike many others at the time of Kobe Bryant’s death, Amira Rose Davis writes off the darker side of his legacy: his rape allegation and how it was swept under the rug. Of which, I think Davis makes a great point by doing so. In her piece, she writes, “Winning seems to absolve many things. So does money.” And as someone who has never been a big basketball fan, the extent of my knowledge only tells me that Kobe was a basketball player. Unsurprisingly, his rape allegation and charges were left unknown to me. For people with a public image and brand, any accusations would appear as a PR nightmare. They want to settle it as quickly and quietly as possible while appeasing their fans. Well, as it turns out, that’s pretty much what happened. The charges were dropped, and Kobe went back to his day. For most, this bump in the superstars journey was already part of the past and to be forgotten. However to others, this wasn’t the case. When an artist painted a mural in honor of Bryant, someone overnight added the words “rapist” next to it. As quickly as the words were added, they were painted over. To this, Davis makes the point that the faults in our idols are often smooth over and buried. They are memorialized in a way that almost gives them an untouchable status even after death.

But while I agree and understand Davis’s argument here, I can also see why the opposite would think otherwise. It’s never easy to think of your hero as someone you thought them not to be. It was no different for his mourning family, friends and fans. If someone were to tell me that my dad was an alcoholic that once beaten a woman in drunken stupor, I would be shocked and in disbelief. If my dad were to pass away the next day, do I exactly want to tell everyone of my dad’s dastardly deed? It’s not to say that the truth shouldn’t be allowed to exist, but there’s more at hand here than just this. To me, my dad was a person who I could rely on. Someone I can trust and someone who loved me. When I would write his eulogy, I think it would do him injustice to write of his faults. Because I remembered my dad as a good person, and that I know he is a good person. I don’t think it’s fair to sum up his life’s achievement as an assaulter. So in Kobe’s case, I think it’s premature to write him off as wicked without truly knowing him. His victim’s grievances may never be fully addressed in the lieu of his death, but it will forever remain as a dark mark on his legacy for sure. Because to the greater and unattached population, it’s easier to remember his good and bad.