As a race we are all not programmed to think alike. Therefore it doesn’t shock me when others in the Black community have an opinion of their own, but it does come as a surprise that after all we have been through as a race; some of us still excuse ourselves from supporting each other. Kobe Bryant has been in the news recently for comments made about the Miami Heat taking Trayvon’s Martin side in the George Zimmerman case.
During this interview with the New Yorker’s Ben McGrath, Bryant distanced himself from the African-American community in a possible attempt to push the race forward.
“I won’t react to something just because I’m supposed to, because I’m an African-American,” Bryant said. “That argument doesn’t make any sense to me. So we want to advance as a society and a culture, but, say, if something happens to an African-American we immediately come to his defense? Yet you want to talk about how far we’ve progressed as a society? Well, we’ve progressed as a society, then don’t jump to somebody’s defense just because they’re African-American. You sit and you listen to the facts just like you would in any other situation, right? So I won’t assert myself.”
Bryant has been catching heat from many people in the African-American community, calling for a boycott of the Laker superstar’s gear.
According to Fox News, civil rights activist Najee Ali, director of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. stated,
“African American youth should no longer buy Bryant’s jerseys or shoes and should boycott all products he endorses,” Ali said in a statement. “Bryant doesn’t identify with the struggle that our African-American youth face nationally. So why should we continue to support Bryant who has never truly identified with the African American experience.”
NFL Hall of Famer Jim Brown weighed in on the subject as well. Brown who was already in the news months ago for criticizing Bryant’s stance in the Black community, said that Kobe is confused about the culture.
Some critics feel that Bryant, who grew up in Italy where his father was a professional basketball player, may be out of touch with the African-American community.
Amongst all the heavy criticism, Bryant stood his ground and went to social media to defend himself.
I’ll be the first to admit that I am not and never was a Kobe Bryant fan, but I always respected him as ball player.
Do you remember the old Nike commercial with NBA legend Charles Barkley where he says that he is not a role model? Nike may want to consider revisiting this commercial replacing Barkley with Bryant.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMzdAZ3TjCA&w=420&h=315]
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