Should the NBA have fined Kobe Bryant for using an anti-gay slur?

Kobe Bryant apologized for using an anti-gay insult, and was fined $100,000 by the NBA. But critics say, as a role model, the basketball superstar should be punished even more for his insensi

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last updated 8 January 2015

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."

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No, it goes too far: "While I agree that Bryant's use of the word was unnecessary, offensive and, frankly, stupid," says Sam Westmoreland at Bleacher Report, this fine is still overkill. Bryant was simply "voicing his displeasure with the official's call," and he clearly meant the phrase "as an expletive," not as an affront to gay people. Instead of fining him, the NBA should have forced him to "offer a real apology (the one he gave felt a little fake), then move on with the business of playing basketball."

Athletes like Kobe get off too easy: Bryant's fine is peanuts, says Patrick Goldstein at the Los Angeles Times, considering he makes $300,000 every time he steps on the court. Compare Kobe's case to Isaiah Washington, the Grey's Anatomy actor who in 2007 used the same slur to insult a co-star. Washington apologized, but was fired anyway. Kobe, meanwhile, will be granted a clean slate, particularly if he leads the Lakers to another championship. "Basketball fans will opt for winning over chivalry every time."

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