Sports Watching and Wondering

The good news for Kobe Bryant and his family is that they have settled the issues on his memorabilia. It was reported that he will allow some of his items to be auctioned off, with some of the proceeds going to his parents, and the remainder going to charity.

It also appears that they may have cleared the air regarding who owns Kobe's money. From reports that I have heard, he gave them quite a bit of money, but they always wanted more. Then he grew to resent their lack of appreciation for his generosity, since they felt entitled. It was also reported that his family publicly thanked him for what he has done for them over the years, and now they have hopefully kissed and made up.

Kevin Durant is now represented by Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports. Jay-Z also represents Robinson Cano, Victor Cruz, and Geno Smith. They join LeBron James as some of the few prominent athletes, who are represented by African Americans. African American Athletes and Celebrities are unique in their unwillingness to hire professionals of their own ethnicity.

The explanation for this self-deprecating behavior may be a lack of self-respect, or lessons learned during segregation and discrimination. One of the prime examples of this kind of behavior is O. J. Simpson. He was accused of committing a murder, and he was going to be tried in a court of law. His life and his freedom were at stake. Johnnie Cochran, an African-American, was one of the most famous and successful Attorneys in the world. Simpson did not hire him; he hired Attorney Robert Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro, recognizing that he did not have any experience in defending anyone accused of murder, immediately asked Mr. Cochran to take over Mr. Simpson's team of attorneys.

I am not suggesting that every African-American Athlete or Celebrity hire only African-American Professionals to help them with the issues. However, I do observe that very few of them do. Again, no other ethnic group in the world has ever behaved this way. Africans tend to hire Africans. Asians tend to hire Asians. African-Americans tend not to hire African Americans, irrespective of what their academic and professional qualifications may be. The younger groups of African-Americans are looking at things differently. I see this as a healthy trend that shows that some younger African-Americans have more respect for themselves than their predecessors did.

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