Is Kobe Really an MVP?

In a world whereby sports and other less meaningful sources of overpriced entertainment reign supreme, the NBA officially stooped to a new all-time low! Instead of honoring one of its better, more suitable representatives with the distinguished honor of – player of the year- the NBA chose instead to promote and further uplift perhaps it’s most misleading example of true class and dedication. Leading many like myself to wonder if the MVP, which at one point meant Most Valuable Player, had now been reinvented to mean something more along the lines of Most Villainous Persona!!

Yes, Kobe Bryant has in many ways had a wonderful statistical season, and by that account has been found worthy of dawning the NBA’s most prestigious award, it’s MVP. But should achieving high levels of categorical success really be all that matters when looking to determine MVP status? Or should we as fans and members of the media take into account other less numerically inclined factors when attempting to decide on who best exemplifies a league and its given fan base?

It is my belief that all too often we, as a sports enthused culture, fail to accurately address these and other pressing issues because of our own disillusioned logic. Somewhere down the line we seem to have bought into this ridiculous notion that just because someone is more athletically inclined or has exhibited the ability to run faster, jump higher, or react quicker, he or she is somehow excluded from the bounds of normalcy. And in achieving such, they have been granted an unlimited pass when it comes to civil responsibility and social dignity. And such is the case with Kobe Bryant.

Stemming from his adulterous behavior in Eagle Colorado and continuing through to this past summer’s list of personal demands, Kobe Bryant has exhibited domineering characteristics alright, but not ones often depicted on the backs of collectable trading cards or Sports Center highlight reels. Instead Mr. Bryant has routinely subjected his team, teammates, front office, and devoted fan base, to a list of demands the likes of which include: (1) insisting to be traded numerous times, (2) calling out Lakers’ General Manager Mitch Kupchak for failing to adequately surround him with championship like talent, (3) openly criticized upper management and Lakers’ owner Jerry Bust, and (4) eagerly ripped into current teammate Andrew Bynum, for not living up to expected levels of professional performance.

Funny isn’t it, all this from a “man” who had just recently verified his willingness to compromise his own legacy and that of the entire Lakers’ organization, largely at the expense of one lonely night in Colorado. It’s just a shame that in today’s world, what one does off the court, is in large part overshadowed by what one’s honest talent will allow him to do on it!

While magnificent talent and a flair for the dynamic can prove financially worthwhile, it does fall short of one’s own ability to be known on and off the court as a worthy - Most Valuable Player. Granted, Kobe Bryant along with his illustrious career will go down in the history books as being one of the games greatest legends, but in a world where pure athleticism has shown the ability to downplay real-life tragedy as a means of achieving real-world accolades, will any of us really care?

Allegiance vs Sanity

I have been a committed fan of the Utah Jazz my entire life. At times this loyalty has brought about moments of glory and bliss the likes of which could never be matched. However, as any fan can attest, what comes up in the crazy upside down world of sports must come crashing down. As was the case this Tuesday night, when my beloved Jazz officially, for the first, granted me the opportunity to question my strict devotion and blind allegiance to their cause. No, this wasn’t simply a counter reaction to one of the most horrific performances ever achieved on a basketball court, rather this form of serious contemplation occurred purely over reasons of personal sanity and overall psychological well being.

Perhaps it can best be argued that I, for what ever reason, have simply fallen victim to the child-like tendencies exhibited by all fanatics…..um fans over the course of a given game or season. Or better yet, possibly this most resent reaction can best be described as an angered blip on my sports enthralled radar, the likes of which is sure to re-occur time and time again. And if those first two excuses don't wet your whistle, how about the ultimate notion that this most catastrophic response to the worst three game stretch in Utah Jazz history - ultimately boils down to me caring to much about a sport, a team, a player, and/or a given outcome. Yes my friends, the harsh reality of suddenly discovering that sports, both college and professional, amounts to nothing more than wasted time and unnecessary antics has finally set in.

No longer can I passively tolerate nor carelessly stand by and allow myself to be routinely psychologically abused and/or physically tormented by the uncontrolled events of third-fourth-or fifth consecutive Carlos Boozer missed free-throw or another Deron Williams misguided pass. Sports is after all meant to be some what unpredictable, highly contested, and at times down right maddening. And so far, the latter seems to be continuously dominating the former.

While my aspirations for the Jazz are surely to live on. It is my hope that as the years pass and consequently my age increases, I can more fully develop and then employ a more simplified stance towards what has clearly served as both an outlet and focal point for most of my life. Sure, I’ll continue to cheer, root for, and probably even yell for my teams and their definitive success. However, form know on, I’ll look do so with the refreshing idea that outcomes are merely finalized results, professional athletes are still after all human-beings, and my beloved Jazz are and always will be…..well….chokers!!

Great teams win when they must, good teams win when they should, average teams win when their at home, bad teams win when their befriended by luck, horrible teams win rarely, and the Utah Jazz....well lets just hope they win!!