Bryant Joins List Of Other Me-First Stars

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Kobe Bryant has demanded a trade on radio, in cyberspace and, now, on vacation.

Ridiculous.

He hasn't painted the Lakers into a corner, he has pinned them there.

Absurd.

He has trashed the team's owner, general manager and future, announcing that the Lakers no longer are worthy of him.

Outrageous.

Yes, this situation is all those things and more ? and less ? and it's time to officially acknowledge just how much less.

Ridiculous, absurd and outrageous, this Jurassic Period notion that once was a commandment in sports. These days, when it comes to players such as Bryant, no team is bigger than the individual.

Come on, catch up to today, people. If you still believe team always comes before player, you also probably still believe it's how you play the game. Yeah, sure, and baseball is steroids-free and the Cincinnati Bengals are just misunderstood.

In reality, there always have been a few chosen players larger than their teams. Babe Ruth, Wilt Chamberlain and, in one literal example, C.C. Sabathia, who selects his pants the way some vacationers do rental cars ? based on trunk space.

Recent years, however, have seen an acceleration in the trend to the point where the rule is increasingly the exception.

When did things turn for good? Seven years ago, just about the time Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks purchased the services of Alex Rodriguez for roughly the cost of Maui.

Still today, Rodriguez's $252 million deal has a greater dollar value than nine major-league franchises, including the Detroit Tigers, who, unlike Rodriguez, played deep into the postseason a year ago.

In this example, A-Rod truly is A-God, an omnipresent being larger by himself than nearly one-third of the clubs in his sport.

Just ask yourself who's bigger: Brett Favre or the rest of the Green Bay Packers? Terrell Owens or the 50-some others sentenced to share a locker room with him? Barry Bonds or the collective little Giants?

If the Atlanta Falcons didn't have Michael Vick, would they have an identity? Would they have a purpose? Would they have a franchise?

The crescendo of the recent NBA playoffs was sold as LeBron James' debut in the Finals. So, as commentators all over the country failed to properly pronounce the name Varejao, it barely was noted that the Cavaliers as an organization never had been in the Finals, either.

The me-first movement has been sped forward by the media, who long ago learned it's easier to sell a face than a logo. ESPN led most of its reports Tuesday with updates about Bryant, not caring that the updates were no updates.

The four-time champion San Antonio Spurs are ripped in spaces such as this one for being dull because they insist on playing as one. Tim Duncan, the fool, doesn't even demand the ball, let alone the spotlight.</div>

Source: OC Register