A Shake Up in the World

This week, the City of Los Angeles – make that the world – suffered the loss of an accomplished athlete and notable human being.

Kobe Bryant, 41, was a star Lakers’ basketball player for 20 years. He died on Sunday, with his daughter and seven others, in a horrific helicopter crash in Calabasas. The group was apparently on their way to the Camarillo Airport where they would take a car to the Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park, a facility Kobe co-created and where his daughter and another player on board were scheduled to play that day.

The news was shocking and touched the emotions of people in unexpected ways. My youngest son, Danny, was an avid basketball player when attending Crescenta Valley High School and our son Matthew is also a fan of many sports, including basketball. So I was familiar with Kobe’s name and how he performed on the basketball court and how he dazzled fans.

I was surprised by how upset I was when I learned of the crash. The emotions caught me off-guard; it wasn’t like I sat in front of every game when Kobe played. But I was around when he was drafted to the Lakers, a team he stayed on for his entire NBA career. I knew he married in the early 2000s (2001 to be exact). I was familiar of how his reputation was damaged in 2003 when he was accused of sexual assault. I felt the sense of finality when he retired from playing. I was also aware of his dedication, especially after his retirement, to his family that included four daughters. I can’t even comprehend how much his wife Vanessa is suffering; not only did she lose her husband but also her daughter.

On Monday, many radio stations in the Southland had a 1:08 (68 seconds) of silence at noon in memory of Kobe and the others on the helicopter. I happened to be listening to KROQ and can only imagine how much advertising money was lost due to that 1:08 of silence. Following that was the song by Green Day, “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” It brought me to tears. Such an incredible loss felt around the Southland, as evidenced by the number of participating radio stations in the 1:08 of silence, and the world.

Yesterday morning, I watched as a fourth grade class in Beaumont “shot” paper balls into the trashcan, reciting “Kobe” as they did so. Apparently their teacher, Mrs. Nelson I think her name is, talked with the kids about the basketball star’s death. I’m sure the question of “Why?” was asked more than once – and not only by her students – but there is no apparent answer.

Finally, CV Weekly is sometimes chastised for not releasing details immediately regarding a story. We typically wait until the proper authorities, whether the Coroner’s Office, LA Sheriff Dept. or Glendale PD, confirms information before we release it. There is a reason and it is an important one: we do not want to be the ones that release information prematurely before the family is notified of injury or death.

In this age of cutthroat journalism, we do not condone this behavior and will not be a part of it. In addition we want to make sure our readers get accurate information.

  robin goldsworthy