Wednesday, August 6, 2003

BUT I AM EATING MORE NUTELLA TODAY: Don't know which was worse -- the promo that just aired on my tv between Simpsons episodes that said "Kobe Bryant won the Teen Choice Award for Best Male Athlete. See him accept it tonight on Fox!" -- or the high-end children's store on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia that's got a Bryant jersey in the front window suitable for a four-year-old to wear.

If adults want to grant him the presumption of innocence and continue to admire him despite the allegations (and admissions) of wrongdoing, that's their right. But these are adult issues and serious charges, and the idea that his new hero/rebel/now-featuring-20%-more-"street-cred" image is going to be foisted upon a younger audience disgusts me. Encouraging kids to watch tonight's "awards" or wear Bryant's jersey just makes them complicit in these transparent efforts to resuscitate his public persona and marketing ability at the expense of a 19-year-old girl who seeks neither publicity nor fortune.

Maybe he didn't do it. Maybe. But that's besides the point. This isn't a debate in which children should be involved, shouldn't be used as pawns by PR flacks or parents. There will be plenty of time for them to admire Bryant's game if and when he's exonerated.

Anyway, I'm from Philadelphia, and we never liked him anyway.

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