Why do we condemn Michael Vick but still support Kobe Bryant?

Question

We= not me, just to clarify.

Why is one person hated, and another beloved?

I mean in general; some people (hi!) still believe that Kobe is a rapist, and some believe that Vick is innocent. But it seems that most people now despise Vick, but most people still love Kobe.

I've seen this in plenty of cases, and I want to know your personal thoughts on why you view two people in two similar situations in two totally different ways; one is viewed with absolute disgust, one is still (inexplicably) regarded as one of the best in his league.

Nitpicking: Kobe was not proven innocent; the charges were dropped because of lack of resources in the DA's office, they couldn't fight Kobe's million dollar defense attorneys anymore. It never even went to trial.

The Duke lacrosse players are the only example of truly "innocent," when the Carolina AG declared them to be innocent. "Innocent" and "not guilty" are two totally different things; innocent means they can prove you didn't do it, not guilty means they can't prove you did do it.

Its an opinion question; you can't be wrong, but you can be misinformed. I welcome your thoughts!

One last little thing: Hey Burnt Sienna, read Jaquiline M's post. In reference to your "P.S."...

Answer 1

Screw Kobe, wasn't Ray Lewis accused of MURDERING another HUMAN BEING? He gets nothing but love. I guess what that other person said was true, about time passing, the public gets a tad forgetful and latches on to the next scandal.

I totally agree with the jacked up hierarchy of life we have now. It's something like:

1. Animals
2. Fetuses (i.e. Pregnant Women)
3. Girls (ages birth to 15)
4. Boys (ages birth to 13)
5. Girls (ages 15-17)
6. Women
7. Men

Sad but true, think about it, if something happens on the local news, it's likely to be in about this order.

Answer 2

A lot of people, especially people here in Boston, still don't like Kobe. He is not beloved by anyone that I even know of, and is still looked upon as a cheater. This however is nothing compared to being Michael Vick-- a man that is being accused of man dogs' executions. Might I add that the case against Kobe Bryant didn't rape the girl. Now whether or not things happened between them, he most likely did cheat on his wife. This is nothing compared to murder, which is what Vick essentially did to these dogs. He set them up for failure and then disposed of them. I understand where you're coming from and maybe where you are, there are a lot more people who support Kobe, but we'll have to wait and see the outcome of the Vick trial. Kobe went about his business during the whole thing and the charges were dropped-- as in he was not convicted or found guilty. Vick will be guilty of something, so we have to believe he is worse here.

Answer 3

To me Kobe is worse than Vick. Probably more people see Vick as a thug and Kobe just an idiot. Also, although Kobe was never proved innocent, the evidence against Vick is mounting. A lot of people think what Kobe did was far worse. However as time goes on it is forgotten. As it will be with Vick. The difference is Vick will probably spend jail time and forced to make a comeback. So his crime will be revisited at that time. Kobe never really stopped playing.

Answer 4

I think Kobe was as guilty as sin in his rape case. Unfortunately the hard evidence was not there to convict him. The situation seems very different in the Vick case. IT sounds like, and looks like from the indictment, that the feds have an extremely good case going against Vick. Personally I see them both as scum, probably more so Kobe because of the rape, but also Vick to a lesser degree. What bothers me more is what we've seen time after time in these situations. Wealthy criminals not doing a day in jail, copping pleas, paying fines, and it's over. If either Kobe, or Vick, or the several others had been you or me out butts would be sitting in jail right now.

Answer 5

If you remember, not everyone supported Kobe Bryant in the beginning. He also lost some sponsorship deals while his trial was in progress. He may have had some more supporters than Vick but he was still raked over the coals by the American public while his trial was in session. It was only after details of the case began to surface that the court of public opinion began to accept his explanation of what went down. In regards to the Michael Vick case, when you get federally indited, they have a 95% cconviction rate. I think the most of the American people that tells them that they must have some pressing evidence against him for this indictment. I'm not saying he deserves the guilty before prooven label he is getting, but it is what it is.

Answer 6

Related question: why has Leonard Little been allowed to play football over the past seven seasons after he killed an innocent woman because he chose to drink then he chose to drive? I've been asking myself that for a while and I'm glad to see Michael Silver brought that up in his recent column. Although methinks he probably would've gotten a serious suspension had it happened during the Goodell era, but it's kinda messed up when a player can kill another human being and not get in as much trouble as when a player kills a dog or three. Not that I'm condoning Vick's actions, but at least be consistent.

As for Kobe, I don't believe he raped that woman. He wanted to settle to keep that story from dragging on but had he taken it to court he most likely would've been found innocent. And he still had extramarital sex, and bought his wife's forgiveness with a diamond that cost the midlevel exception, but hey, good luck fielding an entire NBA team that doesn't cheat on their wives!

Answer 7

I don't really have a good answer, but here's my opinion on the two things

I seriously doubt Kobe raped that girl
I don't know any details (other than what the media feeds us), but it would seem like one of those cases where she's out for money.
and why would Kobe Bryant need to rape some girl?

On the other hand, Vick -at the least- knew what was going on at that property
but aside from that, he's always been a prick.

I dislike them both personally (from what I can tell)



also, I don't know if I'd ever say Kobe was 'beloved'
maybe in LA, but not anywhere else.




P.S....people who say "we now put dogs ahead of people"
are either idiots, or extremely, extremely ignorant



-update- I don't disagree with Jacqueline M at all...I hope what I said makes sense outside of my head

Answer 8

Should we hate either. One has been proven innocent of crime( he was the victim of a women and his own poor judment) and the other is innocent as of yet. The issue is seems to be race but it should be why or we so sure that a millinare would make such a dumb choice of rape of illegal fighting rings. Sleeping around while bad here is deemed the norm everwhere else and dog fighting they eat dogsin other parts of the world. We kill them in packs because they hold no value. We beat them with wipes through snow where many die for sport will PBS shows us in delight. What is the real reason for the charges, (We want know untill later this year), i suspect glory. You could make it to the next political level taking done a Vick and even show your resolve in a loss. Sad really. Bonds,Vick, Bryant all icons are not where my tax dollars and elected officals should be focused these are pastimes, games, sports, destractions from ours little lives and even a war that seemingly will not end.

Answer 9

A couple of factors play in Kobe's favor:
1) time -- America has had time to process the information, and has time to forgive Kobe. Also, he has already had his day in court.
2) lack of witnesses -- the Kobe case was basicly a he said/she said case. There was room there to believe either side. In Vick's case, there is a large amount of physical evidence against him.
3) reputation -- prior to Kobe's incident, he never was in any trouble, either with the law or the league. Vick has a history, albeit mild history, of run-ins with the law and league. The water bottle incident and the double-birds to the fans. His brother's run-ins with the law may also play a factor in the public's perception of Vick.

Answer 10

Human lives are not as valued as dog lives. I dont know if Kobe was guilty or innocent, honestly I dont care. I dont know if Vick is guilty or innocent, honestly I dont care. But I do care about innocent until proven guilty and I do think people should lay off until a jury finds him guilty. They will have plenty of time to bash him after the verdict comes in. But until then lay off because he may just be innocent, Duke Lacrosse comes to mind, not saying they were completely innocent either.

Answer 11

Well I guess drug addicts still believe that Vick is innocent(and yeah in a Court of Law he IS but the evidence will say otherwise once it is settled) but most of us don't have that belief. Now in Kobe's case he ISN'T A RAPIST. Although I guess the same people who would believe that Vick is innocent(outside legally) would have no problem believing that a man who had the CHARGES DROPPED BECAUSE THE WOMAN WOULDN'T TESTIFY really raped said woman. Note the CHARGES WERE DROPPED and THEN, like the day before actually, she accused him of raping her in CIVIL court(It's called a MONEY GRAB). I believe they had CONSENSUAL SEX. That is between Kobe, his wife, and his maker(violating the Ten Commandments).