TMZ reporting the passing of Kobe Bryant

203Pat said:

I avoided this thread because I assumed it would turn out the way it did. I should’ve stuck to it.

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How's the view from your perch?

Drewski said:

How's the view from your perch?

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Better than being down in the mud while people trash a guy who along with his daughter died at no fault of his own.

203Pat said:

Better than being down in the mud while people trash a guy who along with his daughter died at no fault of his own.

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Fair.

The Brandon Five said:

The coverage of this is over the top. Good Morning America spent about 2/3 of the hour covering this and 30 seconds on the Chinese virus that might kill us all and that the mayor at the center of it didn't take appropriate steps because he was waiting for approval from Beijing.

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Good Morning America isn't a news program. There are very few of those left, actually.

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The Brandon Five said:

The coverage of this is over the top. Good Morning America spent about 2/3 of the hour covering this and 30 seconds on the Chinese virus that might kill us all and that the mayor at the center of it didn't take appropriate steps because he was waiting for approval from Beijing.

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US media are comprised of large companies that use analytics to maximize consumer eyeballs and advertising revenues. If you have a problem with the content they are showing, your real complaint is with the American consumer.

letekro said:

US media are comprised of large companies that use analytics to maximize consumer eyeballs and advertising revenues. If you have a problem with the content they are showing, your real complaint is with the American consumer.

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Oh, I thought it was Rupert Murdoch.

letekro said:

US media are comprised of large companies that use analytics to maximize consumer eyeballs and advertising revenues. If you have a problem with the content they are showing, your real complaint is with the American consumer.

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Where have you gone, Newton Minnow???? A lonely nation turns it's eyes to you. Woo woo woo.........

TommyBrady12 said:

Has there been a more shocking death in the sports world since Roberto Clemente? Maybe Len Bias?

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Len was an up and comer. It would be like if Zion died in the NBA or Tua/Lawrence.

Kobe was legit the top basketball star in the world for a generation after Jordan’s run ended and LeBron hit his stride.

Maybe Marciano but he had been retired for quite awhile by that point.

Kobe might really be the biggest sports tragedy death in the US. The only NBA Star right who has similar stature that isn’t with us is Wilt and lived to his 60’s. The rest, Russell, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Jordan, Lebron are all still here.

lancerman said:

Len was an up and comer. It would be like if Zion died in the NBA or Tua/Lawrence.

Kobe was legit the top basketball star in the world for a generation after Jordan’s run ended and LeBron hit his stride.

Maybe Marciano but he had been retired for quite awhile by that point.

Kobe might really be the biggest sports tragedy death in the US. The only NBA Star right who has similar stature that isn’t with us is Wilt and lived to his 60’s. The rest, Russell, Magic, Kareem, Bird, Jordan, Lebron are all still here.

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I remember when Reggie died it really bothered me personally. Leading up to his death his whole situation was so confusing.

farn said:

This type of response is exactly why rich celebrities get away with crimes. As described by @QuantumMechanic Kobe's legal team intimidated the victim and she had very little recourse. Maybe many on here believe it's easy for a 19 year old who gets attacked to go up against someone like Kobe.

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You are literally assuming his unproven guilt in mistake he made 18 years ago and using that to throw shade at him immediately after his and his daughter's death. Seriously, say one nice thing about hin, there's plenty to choose from in this man's life. You don't have to like him, but **** yourself for trying to make this the focus of attention right now.

shmessy said:

Good Morning America isn't a news program. There are very few of those left, actually.

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Agreed. The wife watches it. I'm just an innocent bystander. I prefer C-Span to any of the partisan hack networks.

How horribly sad for the Bryant family and the families of all the other people who perished. RIP to all.

Kobe Bryant was by no means perfect, but from all evidence he straightened up and flew right after some pretty big mistakes earlier in his life. The pictures of him with the daughter who also died show the pure love of a father and his Daddy's girl. Heartbreaking...

Bobsyouruncle said:

The controller is saying he’s too low to “flight follow.” Essentially the controller’s radar cannot see him. This is fairly common for helicopters and not really an issue. The question is whether the pilot could see where he was going. If he ends up in a cloud at low altitude it can be a problem.

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knowing nothing about flying a helicopter outside of video games, I feel like in that situation couldn’t you just try to fly straight up to a safe altitude before attempting to move in any direction?

Really sad as we get more information to learn that this could have been entirely avoided

The Brandon Five said:

Agreed. The wife watches it. I'm just an innocent bystander. I prefer C-Span to any of the partisan hack networks.

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All the main cable news networks are biased

bormio said:

Because we all want to be remembered for our good, and not our bad.

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yea that is a simple, yet accurate way to put it

people make mistakes in life, but there is such thing as redemption. You can do something bad at 20 years old and not be even close to that same person at 40. Look at Michael Vick, I hated his fricken guts when the dog fighting stuff came out. As a dog owner and lover, I can’t imagine pitting dogs against each other to the death for your own amusement.

Now tho, Vick has made dramatic changes to his life and has been humbled greatly. He genuinely (IMO) has remorse for what he did and realizes how wrong he was, and has now dedicated himself to fighting for animal rights. He is now on a path of redemption and can contribute more good to this world and for animal rights than the destruction he caused as a young adolescent

nobody wants to be defined by the mistakes they made If they’ve genuinely tried to modify their life to be a better person

JarOfMayo51 said:

knowing nothing about flying a helicopter outside of video games, I feel like in that situation couldn’t you just try to fly straight up to a safe altitude before attempting to move in any direction?

Really sad as we get more information to learn that this could have been entirely avoided

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You work for the NTSB?

robertweathers said:

I remember when Reggie died it really bothered me personally. Leading up to his death his whole situation was so confusing.

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I was 10-years old and he was my first “hero.” I wasn’t into baseball at that age and the Patriots were so bad that I think my favorite player was Leonard Russell, rookie of the year RB in like 1990 or 1991. But I used to watch every Celtics game when Reggie was the clear star of the team and idolized him. It was just so surreal at that age that he just stopped playing and then come to find out he died not long after from a heart condition.

Then it becomes even more weird because I specifically remember the Celtics had developed a bit of a rivalry with the New Jersey Nets. Both teams were mediocre, but they always had great games, and the Nets were led by Drazen Petrovic...great three point shooter and one of the best players to come from Europe in the early 90s. I looked forward to those games so much and remember Cousy and Heinsohn, ice and fire, as they’d go down the stretch.

Then Drazen Petrovic also died. It was a car crash in Yugoslavia, totally unexpectedly, I think at around the same time as Lewis. Literally my first sports hero and first time I really got into a professional sport due to the Lewis-Petrovic games. So weird.

Edit: Just looked it up. Petrovic died in June 1993 (age 28). Lewis died in July 1993 (age 27).

Still can’t believe he is gone and in a ****ing helicopter crash.

JarOfMayo51 said:

well stated, I think sometimes the angry mob too hastily goes seeking blood and want extremely harsh punishments for any mishap people find themselves in

her story to me seems believable, albeit still a big screw up on air... but not one that should ruin her career

the first part knicks followed by second syllable of Lakers is pronounced Knick-kers, so I don’t think her explanation is crazy off base or anything

Quite a slip up tho

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I think that it is a believable and honest mistake and people should let it go.

Ice_Ice_Brady said:

I was 10-years old and he was my first “hero.” I wasn’t into baseball at that age and the Patriots were so bad that I think my favorite player was Leonard Russell, rookie of the year RB in like 1990 or 1991. But I used to watch every Celtics game when Reggie was the clear star of the team and idolized him. It was just so surreal at that age that he just stopped playing and then come to find out he died not long after from a heart condition.

Then it becomes even more weird because I specifically remember the Celtics had developed a bit of a rivalry with the New Jersey Nets. Both teams were mediocre, but they always had great games, and the Nets were led by Drazen Petrovic...great three point shooter and one of the best players to come from Europe in the early 90s. I looked forward to those games so much and remember Cousy and Heinsohn, ice and fire, as they’d go down the stretch.

Then Drazen Petrovic also died. It was a car crash in Yugoslavia, totally unexpectedly, I think at around the same time as Lewis. Literally my first sports hero and first time I really got into a professional sport due to the Lewis-Petrovic games. So weird.

Edit: Just looked it up. Petrovic died in June 1993 (age 28). Lewis died in July 1993 (age 27).

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I had forgotten about Drazen. He was really good.

I played HS hoops when Reggie was at Northeastern and later w/ the C's. My dad is a fmr Husky and he took me to a couple of his games.

I bring him up as I remember how I felt when Reggie died and I can relate to how Kobe's fans feel. Just awful.

farn said:

It's baffling. This stranger who had athletic talent passed away. Why "we" need to glorify him is beyond...

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I’m not glorifying Kobe as a saint. I don’t know what he is like as a person beyond testimonials from people who did know him.

What I do remember is growing up as a kid watching Kobe in his early days. As a huge fan of the sport I look to Kobe, not Lebron as my generation’s Tom Brady of the NBA. He was the star player of a team I hated yet I respected the hell out of him.

I also know that beyond the veterans, teammates and friends of his so many of the young players in that league look up to Kobe and had relationships with him. To see their reactions is heart breaking. He did so much for that league and the up and coming players.