Not too long ago, I commented on the image and cultural problem of the NFL related to Pat Tillman. His death should have shown the sports-powers-that-be what fans really value in an athlete–it's not the bling bling nor is it the bad boy. Professional sports overall has a growing public relations problem and I'm not the only one to notice. Geoffrey Norman did too in WSJ's Opinion Journal:
Shaq endorses everything that costs money, and Kobe did too until he got into trouble with the law. Just as people who didn't know anything about the game would tune in to watch Michael Jordan, nonfans ought to be drawn to Shaq and Kobe, who has been called the heir to Jordan's throne. Plainly, it isn't working out that way.
Perfect for L.A., if not for basketball, these Lakers resemble a troubled film crew on location, with feuding stars, an ever more temperamental, gnomic director (coach Phil Jackson) and egos ceaselessly banging into each other so that the real point of the thing gets lost in the din. Great material for one of those fan magazines where celebrity is its own justification. Who cares if Kobe unilaterally decides to take over a game and plays as though making a pass to the open man might cost him a shoe endorsement? It doesn't matter because . . . he's Kobe.
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