Andrew Bynum, Kobe Bryant, and the price of celebrity

Therein lies the difference. To Bynum, he’s fully willing to take advantage of the benefits of being a celebrity sports athlete, but at the same time not willing to play the role that allows him to be in said situation. A main part of the reason he makes so much money is because of the very public, celebrity status an NBA player engenders yet at the same time he wants to be seperate from that very machine and even eschew the public responsibilities or role that status demands in chance situations.

Bynum parked in the handicapped spot because he was being an inconsiderate jerk. I see people do it all the time and they aren’t celebrities. He was taking advantage of handicapped people because that is their designated parking spots and you don’t need to be a celebrity to do so. Heck I can go outside and do it right now, but I won’t because I’m not a jerk, not because I’m not famous.

Kobe’s situation is not much different. To those that this situation annoyed lies the very same principles. He’s a public figure, he makes tons of money, allow yourself to be subject to that very deranged public persona you’ve created, they might say. Yes some might go overboard. Some might scream and try to rip off your clothes. Some might stalk you and sleep in the trees outside your house. The price you pay for that nuisance/death threat? 25 Million dollars a year.

I can understand what you’re saying. If you’re famous like Kobe, you will end up eventually meeting some asshole that will take pictures of you. Like what he thought happened in the church situation. Yes he’s famous and he has to live with it. But what does that have anything to do with Bynum? He was at church in his situation and Bynum was caught parking in a handicapped spot. The only similarities I see is that they both play for the Lakers. Neither of them were complaining that they were famous. Just because Kobe makes millions doesn’t mean it’s okay to harass him. That’s not a valid excuse. Because you’re famous you have to deal with me harassing you? I would have done the exact same thing and knocked that cell phone away, and I’m not famous or rich.

Today’s NBA cannot be separated from it’s celebrity culture, and if you’re not willing to pay the price, don’t collect the check.

But to complain about it is like George Michael famously complaining about not wanting to be a celebrity in the 80’s. You don’t want to be a celebrity? Well then don’t release albums on the radio and play concerts to tens of thousands of people. Yeah, you won’t be rich. You decide.

It’s super dumb for celebrities to complain about not wanting to be a celebrity. I understand that. But this situation does not apply to either Kobe or Bynum. Neither of them were complaining. Bynum was being a jerk and Kobe was doing what most of us would have done in that situation anyway. Neither of them were complaining about being rich and being a celebrity.

It’s a slow day at work hence the nitpicking so please elaborate :P

Kobe makes $24MM a year and should be okay with someone in church trying to get his picture, even though 98% of the population thinks he deserves his privacy in a house of worship, including one of his harshest critics. Oh and despite the fact that we have never heard of him denying a fan his picture, in this situation he’s the bad guy.

Bynum, on the other hand, makes $14MM a year and can afford to send someone to buy his groceries if he wants to avoid his fans. Instead, he was in a public parking lot parked illegally in a handicapped spot, and 98% of the population thinks he should have apologized after being caught (oh, and it wasn’t the first time he’d done it).

And LOL @ the George Michael comment.

but it looks to me like it wasn’t. Nothing’s been brought up again, and the church said they’ve never heard of the guy who’s accusing Kobe of injuring him.

fans isn’t what these guys try to do. They try to avoid the TMZ-type people with cell phones trying to catch not glimpses but film them without knowledge.

I can’t disagree more that a celebrity should have to deal with the fame allotted to them. All of their time would be spent appeasing people and trying to keep everyone happy if that was the case.

For Bynum: he was an idiot. Enough said. Whatever the motive, you don’t park in a handicapped spot. If you’re going in and out they have pick-up zones and other ways to get around it.

For Kobe: The guy had his camera out in church, which for many is an extremely private occasion. To expect someone to accept camera flashes as he’s praying in church or listening to a sermon is ridiculous. Even TMZ doesn’t go inside churches. I’ve seen people get phones snatched from them in other church services without celebrities there just because it’s disrespectful to many to have a phone out like that anyway. Either way, I can see why you think Kobe was wrong. I just don’t think anyone is wrong in any case to snatch a phone from someone in church. Stop being a disrespectful bastard. Maybe we should allow Kobe’s daughter’s to be filmed in school because they’re a product of his celebrity as well. Schools are public buildings after all.