It's All For Show

Last night there was a pretty significant NBA regular-season game when the Heat played the Lakers. The Heat had lost five games in a row, which wasn't supposed to happen after they assembled a super-team in the off-season and their record against the upper-echelon NBA teams has been dreadful all year, so this was a critical game for them. The Lakers, who also haven't looked great against the best competition this season, could really have used the game to make the statement that they were all the way back from a mid-season slump. Plus, you had a ton of superstars both on the court and in the stands, so it was a big TV draw. The Heat ended up winning late, but that wasn't the thing that I wanted to talk about today. That incident that I am bothered by happened about an hour later when TNT cameras went back to a shot of a near-empty Miami arena to show Kobe Bryant by himself taking jumper after jumper from the spot he was at when he missed a crucial basket late in the game. As you can imagine, the basketball pundits are wetting themselves this afternoon talking about Kobe's drive, work ethic and just how much he cares about the game. I, on the other hand, thinks this is a perfect example of why I can't stand guys like Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez.

I've stated many times on this blog that the thing which bothers me the most in this world are empty, dramatic gestures which are only done for show. I can't stand the people who do what appears to be a selfless act in front of the cameras, while deep down everyone knows they would never be doing anything like that if there was no media around. To me, that is all this is. Kobe Bryant knew damn well that this was going to get major play on TNT and milked it for all it was worth. It was a contrive, scripted, made-for-TV moment that will probably be a Nike commercial by the end of the day. And, if you require further proof that this was just a show, look no further than reports Kobe skipped today's practice because he was tired. How can you claim that you want to get better at basketball (a team sport, even if Bryant forgets that occasionally) and then skip practice? The Bryant defenders will say that I'm just hating on Kobe, because I don't know what was going on in his head and he was doing it because he hates losing. That's a fair point, I don't know what goes on in that head of his (after all, I have a strict "Don't sexually assault women" policy). However, I have enough evidence in his past to show that he likes to perform for the cameras instead of being himself. Seriously, ask anyone who used to be a teammate of Bryant's and they will tell you no one knows the actual Kobe.

The thing is, I'm not even bothered by him being an attention hog, because I assume all athletes are. He's been a basketball prodigy since he was 12, so of course he is going to have a warped sense of self-worth. I just wish that he would just pull a Charlie Sheen and admit he thinks he is amazing, rather than try and manipulate the environment around him into getting other people to say it for him. That was always the thing about guys like Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant - people think I don't like them because they play for the Yankees and Lakers, but that isn't it at all; I don't like them because I don't think they are genuine. I think everything they do is scripted and rehearsed. I'll respect guys like Jeter because I think his public persona is who he actually is. But, I think guys like Bryant and Rodriguez are pricks who desperately want to be liked and will say anything in the moment to get you to like them, then turn around and bad-mouth you to the next person to get that person to like them. There is nothing about them that I believe to be true. It was sad when kids in high school would do things like this; it's downright pathetic from a couple of guys in their 30s. Say what you will about a guy like Barry Bonds, but at least he's consistent: he's an asshole, but he's just being himself and doesn't pretend to be something he's not just for the sake of being popular. I just find it sad when being an asshole is the more respectable stance.