Offsides with Christina

That video cost a $100,000 dollars; isn’t that what’s truly the 'offensive and inexcusable' crime here?

Kobe Bryant saying the words ‘f---ing fa--t’ wasn’t that big a deal but yet it somehow's been made into an overblown homophobic firestorm.  I’m one of the most liberal people when it comes to equal rights but for the way this has been handled, it’s absolutey insane.

Where is the perspective in all this?  Steeler's linebacker James Harrison for all his destruction in 2010 was only fined $120,000 and he actually caused injury to people; Bryant said a few words that happened to be caught by some TV cameras.  (If I were him I’d go to the camera guys and buy a few gifts so this never happens again; and we all know Kobe’s good at buying things to cover up mistakes).

This fine sets a precedence, that in sports you now have to watch what you say on and off the field.  Has anyone even broached the subject that the official this was directed at, Bennie Adams, might actually be gay and Kobe just happened to be commenting on it?  Or maybe ‘f---ing fa--t’ is his word choice when upset.  And lost in all this is that he wasn’t just going off because of getting a technical foul, he was upset because he had already had a number of T’s this season and was looking at a suspension; something I’m guessing the organizations that attacked him knew nothing about. 

Kobe has handled this like the superstar he is; he took responsibility, though has every right to fight back, loudly AND proudly, but apologized and is ready to move on.  No matter what someone thinks of him, he handled this like a true professional and more athletes should look at his example, or more importantly athletes' mothers.