Basketball Trades: Hey Kobe, Watch What You Say

This past week as I explored the blogosphere to explore the recent events of the National Basketball Association (NBA), I could not help but comment on blogs covering the Kobe Bryant trade. Both posts I chose to respond to highlight the marketing effects of Kobe Bryant playing for another team. For those who are unfamiliar, Kobe Bryant (pictured to the right) has been a member of the Los Angeles Lakers for the past eleven years. During those years, he has earned many prestigious awards such as Most Valuable Player, All NBA Team, All Defensive Team, and most importantly, he is a three time champion. Although Bryant has made history with the Lakers, it has not always been the fairy tale story. He has had serious problems with the franchise, and now he has come out to the public to express how he wants to leave Los Angles and be traded to another team. The first of the two posts I chose to comment on comes from FoxSports.com columnist Charley Rosen. Rosen is an accredited source because he is a former basketball player and coach, and he has been an NBA columnist for many years and has written thirteen books about basketball with hi current one being "The pivotal season — How the 1971-72 L.A. Lakers changed the NBA." His post "Still Some Possibilities in Kobe Derby" discusses the possible trades for Bryant and the likeliness of it occurring. Similarly, the second post I chose “Kobe Bryant: the Update” is written by True Hoop senior writer, Henry Abbott. Abbott is well known for his numerous articles in sports magazines including HOOP, Inside Stuff, Men's Journal, and the official NBA Finals program. This post covers how the actual situation details about the Kobe Bryant trade are very unclear. Even though both posts focus on different aspects of the Bryant trade, they both are equally important in understanding the changes of Kobe Bryant’s positioning in the league. I would like to point out that my responses to these posts are located below for convenience.

"Still Some Possibilities in Kobe Derby"
Comment:
As a Los Angeles native and follower of the Lakers since the start of Kobe Bryant’s career, I would like to start off and say you write a very interesting and analytical blog. I do, however, have some questions for you pertaining to this post. From a marketing perspective, when you write about Bryant going to Philadelphia for Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller and how “the fan attraction of Kobe's coming home would have a huge impact on their attendance — and the 76ers' future would look brighter than ever,” do you really think that this would have a positive impact considering Bryant’s inconsiderate statements about he cannot win a championship with his team. Do you think more Philadelphia fans would come out and watch him play? Even though Bryant is originally from Philadelphia, I believe his controversial comments have marred his positioning in the sports franchise because he no longer presents himself as a team leader, but rather he seems very controlling and inflexible. The image of the sports franchise surrounds the phrase “I love this game” for various reasons and one of the most common reasons is the team atmosphere. In my opinion, Kobe Bryant’s statements are not living up to this expectation, and I feel that he has hurt his credibility of being a well rounded aspiring basketball player. Although you do not think he will be traded to Philadelphia, but if he were, I do not think that more Philadelphia fans would come out and watch him play from a marketing perspective.

Kobe Bryant: the Update
Comment:

I would like to start off by saying I admire all the various sources you bring into your post. It is very interesting to see all the different reports surrounding the Kobe Bryant trade situation. With that said, I do have question about one of your claims. In your post, you write that with all these vague stories “What does all that mean? I really have no idea, at this point, what to make of it. What I do know, is that this does not seem to be a media misinterpretation of status quo.” I would have to disagree with you because from a marketing perspective, the media is a major source for news. The way people think is based greatly on what the media reports. I believe the media has misinterpreted the current situation of the Kobe Bryant trade because as you have reported, there are many different stories which leaves fans confused about what is true and what is false. As well, the media makes assumptions and drives them out of proportion at times. When Kobe sits out for practice or takes home his belongings from his locker, the media quickly reports that he is leaving, but they do not know for sure. In my opinion, the media should simply wait for Bryant or the Lakers franchise to make a public statement before making any reports. Consequently, with all the various stories about Bryant’s trade, his positioning, the way fans view him, is getting destroyed and it is a shame for an all star athlete to lose his credibility due to the misinterpretation of the media.