Lonely or Misunderstood? What's Going On With Stephon Marbury?

By now, most of us have heard of the Marbury 24-hour marathon on Justintv, or viewed it in passing, if not by mistake. Truth be told, it’s actually pretty interesting; In fact, you can find yourself sometimes over-analyzing the man, as sometimes his broadcasts more  resemble a therapy session than a harmless video chat.

It’s not every day that you see an athlete expose himself emotionally to the world in the matter that Steph does—without fear, without any doubt that what he is saying is the truth, and without conscience.

Chances are, if you have witnessed one of his many viral breakdowns, you too have called him crazy at least once or twice, or questioned why he was doing it all together. I stand guilty of that. However, in the midst of it all, chances are you probably also called him a genius.

He's fooling the masses with his thoughts and acts, but he hasn’t got me. What we must understand is that Stephon is a lot smarter than what most may think...he knows exactly what he is doing. Perception is not always reality.

He is using the Internet and JTV as a vehicle, a tool to maintain his relevancy with the fans and media outside of basketball, to open up other endeavors. Let’s face it, even Steph's most loyal fans know his basketball career is all but over—he knows it, we know it. However, like mom always said, you have to have a fall-back plan.

You have to hand it to him, though; he's perfect for this—almost as if he was made to do it all along. He knows how to entertain even the most uninterested viewer; he knows how to hook you.

Take a look at his viewers’ panel next time you visit and you'll see what I’m talking about. Maybe it's Steph's back against the wall, keep it 100 attitude that intrigues, maybe even inspires.

Dare I say we see a little of ourselves in him?

Let’s get back to this idea of crazy. Take a look at another athlete who fans can't get enough of—Terrell Owens. Look at what acting crazy has got him—a reality show on VH1, and a invitation to Dancing With The Stars.

Maybe this guy isn't so crazy after all. Maybe that’s what he wants all of us to think because he knows what sells and what draws attention. Steph is no stranger to the marketing game.

He launched his own Starbury brand on the same principles. Give them something that they haven't seen before—something that’s relevant—and watch them come.

Then, it was affordable, in-style basketball shoes for inner city kids. Now, it’s an in-depth personal view of an athlete’s life through social networking.

As of August 4ht, Stephon Marbury had over 1,000 page views and visitors to his JTV site.

Still think he's crazy?