Great article about why people hate Kobe

[Manute for Ever!]

I have never liked or respected Kobe Bryant, I've been asked to explain why, but my words always seem to fall short. Well, this sums it up perfectly (and, yes, I understand it is from a Celtics website and was written during the finals):

First of all, there is a difference between hating a player and a team, and hating the coverage of that player or team. It is rarely the fault of the player or team that the national media falls in love (or hate, see your Patriots) with them, and writes countless stories, essentially shoving the player down the throat of America. Some fans confuse this difference, and end up hating the player or the team just because they are forced to hear and read about them 24 hours a day. Bill Belichick is all anyone wants to talk or write about, and it is quite obvious that he doesn't love the camera; at least not when it's being trained on him (I had to). I do not hate Kobe because he is on TV a lot.

Other times, fans hate players or teams because they "kill" their team or favorite player on a consistent basis. This sort of hate is what was behind the old "Yankees Suck" chant. You know, the one Sox fans used to chant when the Bombers were dominating. (Now if we chant it, Yanks fans don't have much of a beef.) Fans, and I'm very guilty of this as well, we'll often say "I BLEEPING hate that guy" during a game in which their nemesis is, once again, lighting their favorite team up. So please, let me preface this post by saying, I do not hate Kobe because he is really good, or because he plays for the Lakers.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...e_kobe_so.html

[OldSchoolBBall]

If you got invited to a Bah Mitzvah for a 30-year-old, that would be completely OK?

[loot]

and this:

[Manute for Ever!]

That's the bit that had me laughing, too.

[Manute for Ever!]

and this:

Awesome!

[Stringer Bell]

I agree about bringing his wife to the press conference, in tears, holding hands, and apologizing. That stuff is behind closed doors type of stuff, not "bring out the cameras and watch my wife forgive me".

Other stuff, I disagree with. I think Kobe got too much flack for the Lakers breaking up in 2004. I never blamed Kobe solely. All of them (Kobe, Shaq, Jackson, Buss) are to blame.

As far as him being fake, well that makes him how much different than a number of players in pro sports?

Kobe not being the most liked teammate? Well let's not rewrite history and act like the man Kobe is often compared to, MJ, was some lovable teammate. He was notoriously ruthless on his teammates. He frequently referred to them as "my supporting cast".

With such great technology nowadays, it's easier to find out more of the "dirt" about athletes. ESPN likes to turn things into a soap opera. Magic Johnson would've been bashed a lot for basically getting his coach fired in his 2nd season. Michael Jordan could've only protected his image so well when you can't even so much as fart without it making the sporting news everywhere.

[Stringer Bell]

I think a lot of people, at least on the internet, hate Kobe for his annoying and often disturbed fan base.

Liking a player and rooting for him is fine.

Too many Kobe homers take it too far where it's just disturbing. Grown men with a man crush and idol-worshipping someone because he's good at a sport.

Get some help please.

[Manute for Ever!]

I think a lot of people, at least on the internet, hate Kobe for his annoying and often disturbed fan base.

Liking a player and rooting for him is fine.

Too many Kobe homers take it too far where it's just disturbing. Grown men with a man crush and idol-worshipping someone because he's good at a sport.

Get some help please.

That adds to it for me. It is definitely disturbing.

[imdaman99]

That adds to it for me. It is definitely disturbing.

I am pretty sure you don't have to pay attention to them, or maybe you enjoy egging them on with threads like this. For God sakes you even have him in your user title under your av. Seems to me you got the man crush because you guys will constantly talk about him, find ways to put him down. And OldSchoolBub as well. He never saw an anti-Kobe thread he didn't invite himself into.

Let it go, if you really don't like hearing the Kobe trolls, you wouldn't make threads such as this

[gpfanz]

I have never liked or respected Kobe Bryant, I've been asked to explain why, but my words always seem to fall short. Well, this sums it up perfectly (and, yes, I understand it is from a Celtics website and was written during the finals):
http://www.boston.com/sports/basketb...e_kobe_so.html

Nice

[quasimoto]

There's more than one reason why a lot of people (including me) dislike Kobe. The main one being that he basically got 3 rings thrown in his lap. I mean, most other top players have to try for years to get a chance to win a championship, but Kobe was already in his first year paired to one of the best players ever. That's not his fault of course, but it irritates me that everyone who's trying to argue that Kobe > random player still uses it as an argument even though it shouldn't be one. And three years after Shaq's departure the Lakers somehow get the opportunity to trade Kwame Brown for Pau Gasol...doesn't make it easier for me to like him.

The second reason is his fan base. For some reason the ratio trolls:fans is way higher with Kobe than with other players.

I also never really liked his playing style. Especially in the post-Shaq years he didn't seem to know that he had teammates. I prefer guys like Wade and James. At least they incorporate their teammates in the game.

[Manute for Ever!]

I am pretty sure you don't have to pay attention to them, or maybe you enjoy egging them on with threads like this. For God sakes you even have him in your user title under your av. Seems to me you got the man crush because you guys will constantly talk about him, find ways to put him down. And OldSchoolBub as well. He never saw an anti-Kobe thread he didn't invite himself into.

Let it go, if you really don't like hearing the Kobe trolls, you wouldn't make threads such as this

I'm just venting because he has been popping up in almost every thread lately and it is driving me nuts. The user title refers to the trolls that keep bringing him up, they bug the **** out of me.

[rox fa sho]

no you silly aholes, people hate kobe cuz he's bigger than them, at the same time faster than them, at the same time better than them, at the same time richer than them, and he's black.

[S13M]

The second reason is his fan base. For some reason the ratio trolls:fans is way higher with Kobe than with other players.

Really? I think Lebron trolls:fans ratio is close to Kobe.

[kNIOKAS]

yeah it's well put... kinda matches my opinion. kobe just tries too hard, and yet some people think that too hard=awesome. no