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Outsourced: Another Reason to Loathe Him


Prince Imrahil

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I don't watch basketball (especially pro-ball). Sometimes, I get into March Madness but that's about it. I find the game a bit boring (though if you like it, have at it). It's rare that something basketball related gets my attention. This is on of those rare times. From NBA.com:

The NBA fined Kobe Bryant $100,000 on Wednesday for using a derogatory gay term in frustration over a referee's call.

NBA Commissioner David Stern issued a swift disciplinary ruling after the five-time NBA champion guard cursed and used a common homophobic slur when referee Bennie Adams called a technical foul on him Tuesday night in the third quarter of Los Angeles' win over the Spurs.

"Kobe Bryant's comment during last night's game was offensive and inexcusable," Stern said. "While I'm fully aware that basketball is an emotional game, such a distasteful term should never be tolerated. ... Kobe and everyone associated with the NBA know that insensitive or derogatory comments are not acceptable and have no place in our game or society."

Stern's action drew praise from gay-rights organizations that have demanded a fuller apology from Bryant and the Lakers. Bryant issued a statement earlier Wednesday, saying his words came out of frustration and shouldn't be taken literally.

"We applaud Commissioner Stern and the NBA for not only fining Bryant but for recognizing that slurs and derogatory comments have no place on the basketball court or in society at large," Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said. "We hope such swift and decisive action will send a strong and universal message that this kind of hateful outburst is simply inexcusable no matter what the context."

Bryant's words and actions were captured by TNT's cameras during the network's national broadcast of the Lakers' regular-season home finale.

Bryant punched his chair before taking a seat on the bench and threw a towel on the court near his feet in frustration after picking up his fourth foul in the third quarter. He got his 15th technical of the season for arguing the call, one shy of the cumulative trigger for a one-game NBA suspension.

"What I said last night should not be taken literally. My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period," Bryant said in a statement issued through the Lakers. "The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings towards the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone."

Gay-rights groups denounced Bryant's actions. Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, said slurs are unacceptable.

"Professional sports players need to set a better example for young people who use words like this on the playground and in our schools, creating a climate of intolerance and hostility," Barrios said. "The LA Lakers have a responsibility to educate their fans about why this word is unacceptable."

Bryant has edged right up to the line of serious NBA discipline this season, ranking second only to Orlando's Dwight Howard in technical fouls - mostly for arguing with referees. Bryant was called for an additional technical foul that was rescinded Monday.

If Bryant gets another technical foul in the Lakers' season finale at Sacramento on Wednesday night, he would be suspended for the first game of next season.

The Lakers will open the playoffs this weekend at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant is someone who, for as long as I can remember, has had this air of smugness around him, like he can do/say whatever he wants and get away with it (at least relatively). Huge turn-off. This incident is just another reason for me to dislike him.

Kobe.jpg

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I'm a full proponent of gay rights and all of that wonderful progressive stuff but really nobody has any right to be offended by this. People ought to take offense when somebody actively intends to put down a group of people by using a word, not simply because the word used has a nominal association with homophobia. If Kobe knew the referee was a homosexual and the idea was in his head when he said !@#$%^, then that is a bad thing, like if somebody called Kobe the n-word. It's something that is used as a generic putdown these days, no different than !@#$%^& or !@#$%^& or dickhead. If you're going to cause a fuss about something, cause a fuss about actual discrimination against gays.

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CSM just explained my view pretty well. It's a generic putdown nowadays, when the homosexual community whines about it they just look sad imo. Everyone has to be ohh so politically correct though so publicly everyone goes "Shame on you Kobe".

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I'm a full proponent of gay rights and all of that wonderful progressive stuff but really nobody has any right to be offended by this. People ought to take offense when somebody actively intends to put down a group of people by using a word, not simply because the word used has a nominal association with homophobia. If Kobe knew the referee was a homosexual and the idea was in his head when he said !@#$%^, then that is a bad thing, like if somebody called Kobe the n-word. It's something that is used as a generic putdown these days, no different than !@#$%^& or !@#$%^& or dickhead. If you're going to cause a fuss about something, cause a fuss about actual discrimination against gays.

I'm going to have to agree with this entirely.

Kobe Byrant may be a complete and utter jerk and contemptible for many, many reasons, but this just isn't one of them.

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I'm going to laugh when him picking up another T causes the Lakers to lose it all.

Technicals get reset when the playoffs start. I'll be really surprised if he gets a single one during playoffs.

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I'm a full proponent of gay rights and all of that wonderful progressive stuff but really nobody has any right to be offended by this. People ought to take offense when somebody actively intends to put down a group of people by using a word, not simply because the word used has a nominal association with homophobia. If Kobe knew the referee was a homosexual and the idea was in his head when he said !@#$%^, then that is a bad thing, like if somebody called Kobe the n-word. It's something that is used as a generic putdown these days, no different than !@#$%^& or !@#$%^& or dickhead. If you're going to cause a fuss about something, cause a fuss about actual discrimination against gays.

Yeah! I actively discriminate against gays and the attempted correlation of what Bryant did and what I do as a standard hiring practice or choice of hit-and-run is appallingly inaccurate and insulting. Get it right, sports fans.

:}

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Technicals get reset when the playoffs start. I'll be really surprised if he gets a single one during playoffs.

I was hoping he'd get hit with one when playing the Kings.

goddamnit.

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