Popularity Contest

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are compared in every way. Who's the better player? Who's the better shooter? Who's the better team player? Who's the better defender?

And I think it's terrific for sports. I think it's terrific for the game of basketball. Nike certainly capitalized with all its puppet commercials, but ordinary individuals like myself who enjoy basketball can debate for hours and hours, and the conversation really won't make much progress, but the fact that this topic arouses such a buzz in people's minds is beneficial in many regards. People delve into the complexities of the game, the history of the sport, many unknowns become unraveled.


Trey Kerby in his most recent blog Ball Don't Lie suggests that since LeBron's "The Decision" on ESPN, the public has started to see him in more and more of a negative light. Prior to LeBron's decision to shoot "The Decision", he was clearly the NBA's most popular player, and Kobe was the NBA's most unpopular (unless you lived in Los Angeles). And because LeBron was able to keep such a "clean" image of himself, he won in a lot of the frequently asked questions mentioned previously in this post. But now, the tide has changed somewhat. Q Scores Company created a poll that measured the popularity of athletes, and LeBron has faltered behind Kobe. And Kobe's smile is as big as ever - he's won a ring, he still has arguably the best team, and he's liked more (well, in comparison to LeBron).

Before we put Kobe in the same popularity level as athletes such as Grant Hill and Shane Battier, let's clarify that Kobe is still very unpopular. Just when compared to LeBron, he's a bit more popular in that regard. Does that mean he'll win some arguments, in regards to the best basketball player in the game, in his favor? Absolutely.

But given these two players' extraordinary gifts on the basketball court, they have the opportunity to have an enormous impact off the basketball court. Imagine the lives that they could touch, by inspiring kids to be better human beings. Look, these two players have it all, but they know the importance of maintaining good character. But they choose to do certain things that make everyone just shake their heads. And no LeBron, giving a shout-out to the Boys & Girls club after "The Decision" does not count as being "good".


- Leather Head