Rant #2,513: Move Along

I have to make a change to what I said yesterday about Kobe Bryant.

Not that the gist of the Rant was incorrect, that being that yes, he was a giant in the game of basketball, but that our collective level of mourning has put him on a pedestal as something of a god in many of our eyes, a position that I don't think he would be very comfortable with.

But I did say that he was acquitted of raping the hotel worker in a spectacular case that riveted us nearly 20 years ago.

That is incorrect.

There was no trial, as the woman refused to testify. She did file a civil suit, and it was settled out of court.

It might have been the only negative mark against Bryant during his entire life, but he had to win back the trust of his wife, which he did, and after that escapade, he didn't seem to ever go on the negative side again.

I also read in the newspaper today that some sportswriters are writing out of their butts with the untimely death of Bryant, saying that in order to fully get this situation, you have to be under 40 years old.

This thinking is that under-40s have never had one of their collective heroes die, and this will be the touchstone for them when others they love and respect die early or just pass away period.

To under 40s, this is like for the Baby Boomers, when our president, John F. Kennedy was assassinated, or to those slightly older, when the Challenger blew up as it ascended off its launch pad.

This is completely faulty thinking, of course, putting a divide between the generations that really does not exist.

I almost liken the death of Bryant to the death of John Lennon, although the two passings are as different as can be, one by an unfortunate accident and the other by the hand of a madman.

Yes, Baby Boomers mourned for our hero when Lennon died, but so did the other generations Even older folks were touched by his musicianship, by his naive nature in the face of international stardom, and certdainly, even "oldsters" knew who John Lennon was and why his death was such a blemish on humanity.

I think the same thing can be said about Bryant's death.

"Oldsters" like me--one columnist today said anyone over 40 cannot clearly "get" the importance and impact of Bryant's passing--do, in fact, get the significance 100 percent, just like many younger people.

This was an athlete who transcended merely the sport he excelled at, and became world famous. Lennon was a musician who transcended merely the music that he excelled at, and became world famous.

But again, however tragic Bryant's--and Lennon's--death was, it simply cannot compare with the magnitude of the deaths of people like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King or even Bobby Kennedy, each one of whom was senselessly taken away from us by madmen.

That doesn;t minimize the death of Bryant, but it just puts it into perspective, the right perspective, whether you are 14, 24, 34, 44, 54, 64 years of age or older.

The world will miss Bryant--yes, basketball is truly the most global of all sports--but let's stay grounded ourselves and keep his passing within the perspective that it should be looked at in.

Sometimes, we drown in our own sense of pity, and I think that that is what is happening right now.