On Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant was caught on camera using an anti-gay epithet to insult a referee. Bennie Adams had just hit the star with a technical foul, when an incensed Bryant stormed to the sidelines and could be seen mouthing the words ""f**king f*ggot" in Adams's direction. After the game, a social-media uproar led Bryant to issue an apology, in which he said, "My actions were out of frustration during the heat of the game, period. The words expressed do NOT reflect my feelings toward the gay and lesbian communities and were NOT meant to offend anyone." Nonetheless, the NBA slapped Bryant with a $100,000 fine. Is that too much?
The punishment fits the crime: "It's especially important for superstar athletes to understand that people, and especially impressionable kids, will model their behavior on what they see their idols do and say," says Joe Solomonese, the president of the Human Rights Campaign to whom Bryant apologized directly, as quoted by CNN. "We have a responsibility to call that out and say that it’s not an appropriate reaction" — and this fine is a good way to do just that. Still, it's encouraging for an athlete like Kobe to "take ownership for their mistake and say I'm sorry."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Congress reaches spending deal to avert shutdownSpeed Read The bill would fund the government through March 14, 2025
-
Today's political cartoons - December 18, 2024Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - thoughts and prayers, pound of flesh, and more
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
