How quickly we forget.
Kobe Bryant has it pretty good these days. The Jazz are on the ropes. His back is on the mend. Better still, the court of public opinion is officially in session—and we’ve decided once and for all that we really do love us some KB24.
Or at least we do today.
Where we’ll be six months from now is anybody’s guess.
We haven’t always been quite so gaga over the Mamba. Before the season, any idiot with a laptop could’ve told you that Kobe was a moper, or a malcontent. Now he’s the People’s MVP. Somewhere, Dyan Cannon is wishing the aging process were so forgiving.
That’s the upside of knee-jerk journalism, I suppose:
You’re always right, until you’re wrong.
And then you’re only wrong if you’re too proud to let yourself be right.
It’s not that our collective change of heart is particularly surprising. We’re all of us victims of the 24-hour hype cycle, beholden to a market imperative that demands tomorrow’s scoop five minutes ago. The good news is that instant gratification has its perks. The bad news, alas, is that long-term normative consistency very certainly isn’t one of them.
A judgment can only be as sound as the mind of he who renders it.
When you have the luxury of gathering your thoughts and scrutinizing your logic, that's not a problem.
When you’re staring down a deadline and trying desperately to find room for a corny Jack Nicholson joke, on the other hand—well, all wit and no substance is liable to make anyone a rather dull pundit.
Time has a knack for playing tricks on the human mind. Maybe that’s because we’re a three-dimensional species stuck in a four-dimensional universe. Maybe it’s because we’re just too damn impatient to trifle with history. In any event, there’s no moment like the present for making baseless blanket statements, which is why I do hereby declare myself forever in Kobe Bryant’s corner. Unless of course the Jazz come back and win Game Six.
Call it the Blogosphere’s Special Theory of Relativity, Bubba:
The past was a dream.
The future is a rumor.
Now is all that ever was or might one day be—and anyone who’d argue otherwise would do well to remember that he’s only just saying, is all...
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4 months ago
Every time I think my memory is poor, the collective public memory puts that conclusion in perspective. Somehow it makes my squirm when seeing Kobe cuddle his daughters on camera, then reflect on the young lady in Utah he paid off to quiet the story about the way he "cuddled" her.
Once again, nice article Ryan!
4 months ago
Love the message. One day the public declares Kobe the next Jordan, and the next he is a bum who is a thug.
4 months ago
Just to play devil's advocate, couldn't you have just as easily lauded a population of fans and their collective willingness to accept a (seemingly) heart-felt apology from a (ostensibly) repentant athlete?
Nah, nevermind.
from 4 months ago
Can you accept an apology when you've forgotten the transgression? Sounds like a puzzle for Phil Jackson to solve. Ommmmm.
4 months ago
"Give me some of that Kobe Kool-Aid"
4 months ago
Kobe is a basketball God. I don't really care for him but hes amazing. Go Lakers!
4 months ago
Great article, I completely agree with your message here.
4 months ago
sorry man but.......not right at all i mean I'm not die hard kobe fan (that spot is taken by McGrady) but he is or has the potential to be the "next jordan"
4 months ago
i'm with skyler on the McGrady train but i think the message of this article is perfect public perception of athletes and celebrities can change in the blink of an eye and you're judged for your latest news story not your greatest
4 months ago
At the start of the year, I disliked Kobe. I am now a Kobe fan. It isnt because thee lakers are doing good and so is he, because even on the championship teams of the past i didnt like him. It has nothing to do with his play, he just seems to be a better person than he used to b.
4 months ago
Great piece.
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