Kobe Bryant Essays (Examples)

NBA Draft

Over the past six or seven years in the NBA, a new trend has emerged, along with a new type of style and attitude in the game of basketball.

Much of this is due to the fact that many kids are coming out of college early, or even coming straight out of high school, and entering the NBA draft. At first it was accepted to go to the NBA in such a way because the kids that came from high school actually were talented enough to play with other caliber athletes.

Now it seems these teenagers, good or bad, are going to NBA just to collect.

Most of the people jumping ship are mediocre and cannot handle the physical play of the sport.

hile the NBA needs to reevaluate their policies on what age a person should be allowed to enter the NBA, nobody can blame the athlete.…

Works Cited

Drinkwater, Brian. "Summer League Review."

NJHoopsnet. June 21, 2002. www.njhoopsnet.com/BDJuly21st.html.

Kahn, Mike. "Fundamental Truth: Foreign Influx Changes Face of NBA." CBS Sportsline.com. Sept. 2, 2002. cbs.sportsline.com/b/page/pressbox/0,1328,5669795,00.html.

Kyler, Steve. "The Rumor of the Day." HoopsWorld.com. Feb. 2, 2003. www.hoopsworld.com/cgi-bin/news/exec/view.cgi?archive=9&num=2622.

Despite the more commercial and thrilling aspect of this film, Lee retains his trademarks, from close-up shots to his signature floating shot and infusion of music and athletic iconography.

Lee continues to infuse his films with social and political commentary. Although he has not made as many feature films in recent years as he did in the past, he continues to produce and direct works that focus on social issues, as well as the black experience. Although Lee may be outspoken at times, his viewpoints and socio-political beliefs have not changed during the course of his career. His ability to retain his identity in an ever changing world have made Lee a truly unique director.

Annotated Filmography

Jungle Fever. Dir. Spike Lee. United States: 40 Acres & a Mule Studios, 1991.

Jungle Fever explores the concept of interracial relationships and how they are viewed by the community. The film, like…

Works Cited

Bollag, Brenda. "NY Independent Cinema at Cannes: Jim Jarmusch's "Down by Law" and Spike

Lee's "She's Gotta Have it." Film Quarterly, Vol. 40, No. 2 (Winter, 1986-1987), pp. 11-

13. JSTOR. 21 April 2012.

Diawara, Manthia and Kolbowski, Silvia. "Homeboy Cosmopolitan." October, Vol. 83 (Winter,

Scandal/Controversy in Sports

The following will take a look to see if scandal and controversy benefit sports.

Background of Sports Industry and Scandals

Sports in the U.S. is a multi-billion-dollar industry. Companies try to engage with clients by aligning the services and products they offer with this well-known industry via sports funding and endorsement. The benefit of this involvement has been well-recorded in the sports marketing literature (Hughes and Shank, 2005). The effect on business brands in case a scandal surfaces regarding an athletic supporter like a player, coach, or a team however, is less well-known. Several sports scandals, for instance, the rape case surrounding Kobe Bryant and the University of Colorado recruitment scandal raise very serious questions regarding the effect of sports scandals on amateur and professional athletic institutions, participants, sponsors, as well as other stakeholders.

Whereas conventional corporate sports supporters like Nike maintain omnipresence, several other different kinds…

References

Alessi. (2014). TheRichest - The World's Most Entertaining Site. Top 10 Sports Betting Scandals and Controversies - TheRichest. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from  http://www.therichest.com/sports/top-10-sports-betting-scandals-and-controversies/ 

Doorty, A. (2016). Odyssey. Is Scandal Good for Baseball? Retrieved June 21, 2016, from  http://www.theodysseyonline.com/are-scandals-good-for-baseball 

Fisher, R., & Wakefield, K. (1998). Factors leading to group identification: A field study of winners and losers. Psychology & Marketing, 15(1). Retrieved, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1520-6793(199801)15:1%3C23::AID-MAR3%3E3.0.CO;2-P/abstract

Garg. (2010). The Hoya. Scandals Show Need to Pay College Athletes. Retrieved June 21, 2016, from  http://www.thehoya.com/scandals-show-need-to-pay-college-athletes/

Sociological Theories

Do laws serve to help the masses or do they serve the "propertied and privileged few?" (Heywood 152) This question is thrown into stark relief, given the recent Kobe Bryant Scandal regarding the accuser's allegations that the NBA superstar raped her. (CNN.com, 2003)

Theorists and Sociological concepts

On one hand, it could be argued that the privileges of the wealth and fame offered by Bryant's status gave him added media protection. However, it could also be alleged that in a rape trial, given the seriousness of the offense, one cannot presume a defendant's guilt. Although societal prejudices may condemn the women's sexual behavior or mental instability, in the past American history of justice, Black African-American males have frequently and falsely been accused of violating white women as means of "keeping them in their place." Thus, the "bifurcated consciousness," or a polarized identity kept in place by the absolutism…

Last year, during the Lakers' Christmas game, the Lakers were routed by Cleveland, thanks to the talents of LeBron. This year's game is a grudge match against LeBron as well as an opportunity to show that the last several losses for the Lakers were flukes and not indicative of the overall strength of the team. All of the fans hope that this year the Lakers will be playing in the NBA finals this July. Additionally, after as he was ejected from the end of the last, disappointing game, I know that Kobe Bryant will be ready to fight -- and win -- on the holiday. I believe he will be the 'Grinch' that steals the Heat's thunder and breaks its streak of victories.

Christmas is not just about presents -- it is also about having memorable experiences. Having the experience of seeing my team win with other loyal fans would…

5% of total liabilities. Their retained earnings, on the other hand, total $5.073 billion. The heavy use of retained earnings is partially explained by their view of themselves as a growth company. hile they pay a dividend, Nike prefers to re-invest much of its profits back into expansion. They do not feel that the market has matured sufficiently to stop their aggressive growth strategy. Another consideration in their capital structure is the cost of capital. On account of its low volatility, Nike has a low cost of debt, approximately 6.8% using CAPM. Their long-term debt is primarily a revolving credit facility. The rate, based on their a+ rating, is LIBOR + 0.15%, which would equate to 4.12% based on the October 15th price of the 1-year LIBOR. If anything, Nike could become more financially efficient by increasing their use of debt financing.

Nike places strong emphasis on human resources. They…

Works Cited

Cohen, Marshal (2007). USA: Athletic footwear is significant portion of overall footwear market. Fibre 2 Fashion. Retrieved October 21, 2008 at  http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/company-news/npd-group/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=32512 

Some financial information, ratios from Reuters. Retrieved October 21, 2008 at  http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/overview?symbol=NKE.N 

Nike 2008 Annual Report. Retrieved October 21, 2008 at  http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/100529/Areports/ar_06/docs/10k.pdf 

Nike 2006 Annual Report. Retrieved October 21, 2008 at

egardless, he has no idea what others are talking about but is willing to admit it (Cohn, 2011).

Hawk views everything as amazing in regards to how his life turned out. He wonders how he got there with moments like this at times. Tony learned of self-confidence along the way, which helped him to use skateboarding as his life. Furthermore, he is able to incorporate diversity and tolerance into his business. Deep down, he knew that people were wanting more than what they were seeing. Hawk loves his job, and considers this his job description.

After the 1999 X games, Tony decided to retire from competing with others. Despite him no longer having a part in getting this games going when he was in high school, he does manage to put on demonstrations as well as exhibitions around the world (Hawk, 2011). For example, Hawk does a "Boom HuckJam Tour…

References

Cohn, G. (2011). Tony Hawk carves a new niche. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from Enterpreneur:  http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneur/2009/october/203408.html .

Entmoney. (2009). The business of sports: Tony Hawk. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from Entmoney:  http://www.entmoney.com/tag/tony-hawk/ .

Hawk, T. (2011). Bio. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from Tony Hawk: http://www.tonyhawk.com/bio.html.

McCurdy, L. (2010). Athletes turned entrepreneurs. Retrieved June 21, 2011, from CNBC: http://www.cnbc.com/id/38359640/15_Pro_Athletes_Turned_Entrepreneurs.

It was after this season that Phil Jackson left the Platoons of Albany and joined the Chicago Bulls as an Assistant Coach, and as it is generally said, the 'rest is history'. (Lakers Coach Phil Jackson signs with WMA and Original Entertainment)

In a nutshell, a leader can be seen as a person or an individual who is inevitably the most important person within the group or organization where he is working or associated with in any way. It is this very leader who is most often responsible for the successes and the failures of the group or the team, which is under him. However, it is sometimes said that success and failure also lies in the hands of the followers, and in nay sort of organization or group, it is in the hands of the follower that the leader's goals and dreams are generally carried out or executed. Chris…

References

DuPree, David. Phil Jackson, Zen and Now. USA TODAY. 6 June, 2002. Retrieved at  http://www.usatoday.com/sports/nba/02playoffs/2002-06-05-cover-jackson.htm . Accessed on 24 January, 2004

Empowerment: Developing Effective Followers. Retrieved From www.surcon.com/Surcon_Empowerment.doc+the+career+and+leadership+of+Phil+Jackson&hl=en"  http://www.surcon.com/Surcon_Empowerment.doc . Accessed on 24 January, 2004

Evaluate Performance Constantly. Retrieved From www.teamsthatwin.com/ftp/EVALUATE%2520PERFORMANCE%2520CONSTANTLY.pdf+how+was+Coach+Phil+Jackson+effective+in+enabling+players+to+reach+their+peak+performance+levels+&hl=en"  http://www.teamsthatwin.com/ftp/EVALUATE%20PERFORMANCE%20CONSTANTLY.pdf . Accessed on 24 January, 2004

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson signs with WMA and Original Entertainment. William Morris Agency, Press Releases. Retrieved at  http://www.wma.com/0/press/pressreleases/Phil_Jackson_Final.html . Accessed on 24 January, 2004

Gender Equity in Education

Taking the Field: Women, Men and ports (Michael a. Messner)

Chapters One, Two, Three & Five

Women and men are clearly different, in ways far beyond mere physical composition, as Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus discusses in deep detail. But, the author (Messner, 2002) of Taking the Field: Women, Men and ports also wonders: where children are from, how children "do gender," how the American Youth occer Organization (AYO) does gender, and he wonders about the cultural symbolism of the process of sports. These are valid investigative questions.

Other questions posed by Messner: is gender a "thing" that one "is" or "has" - or is it situation-constructed through one's performance on the soccer field, for example? Those questions came to mind after the author witnesses the "Barbie Girls vs. ea Monsters" soccer contest - with "boys...unwittingly constituted as an audience for the girls"…

Self-esteem is covered in Chapter Four, with plenty of statistics. In elementary school, 67% of boys said "I'm happy the way I am." But by high school, the percentage of boys agreeing to that statement dropped 21 points, to 46%. And for girls, the drop was more dramatic: 60% said they were happy about themselves in elementary, but only 37% answered "affirmatively in middle school" (p. 78), and only 29% in high school. The authors develop this theme throughout the chapter (titled, "The Self-Esteem Slide"), concluding with this: "The girl who once laid claim to the top of the slide does not go into the playground anymore...no longer is she at the peak of her world...instead she walks cautiously, wary of the traps around her."

In Chapter Eight, the boys who rose to the top of the class in elementary now pay a price, and often "land at the bottom" in high school. And since boys have learned, from their "earliest days...a destructive form of division - how to separate themselves from girls," even though they now may fall short, they are still ahead of the game because "they are not girls."

These books are certainly legitimate and interesting, and clearly authentic works of scholarship. But if one is looking for a more thorough, more balanced view of boys and girls in the classrooms of 2003, and the dynamics created by social forces outside the classroom, further research might be advantageous.

Managing Reebok

History of Reebok

he company of Reebok started in England in around 1890 to provide shoes which could help athletes run faster. he cleated running shoes were developed by Joseph William Foster and he had then started a company to make hand-stitched athletic shoes for the runners of that time. he enterprise continued in that manner and started with the name of Reebok International due to the starting of a new company by the grandsons of JW Foster. he name was taken from the name of an African gazelle. he company came to USA in 1979 when Paul Fireman bought an exclusive license for distribution of Reebok in North America. From the beginning itself, the products were the most expensive, and were being sold for $60 a pair even in 1979. he sales increased over time, and became $1.3 million in 1981, and then the production capacity of…

The international sales of Reebok were organized from the corporate office in Canton, and this office directly controlled sales in Latin America. The operations in Europe were controlled from the offices in Lancaster and London in England, as also the sales in the Middle East and Africa. There were wholly owned subsidiaries for marketing the Reebok branded products in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, United Kingdom, Japan and South Korea. There were also majority owned subsidiaries for India, Mexico, and Spain. There were also 26 independent distributors and two joint ventures in which the company had minority interest. The entire effort marketed Reebok products in 170 countries and territories. During 2001, the total sales from international operations reduced to $1.170 billions from the previous year's figure of $1.176 billions. This was mainly due to weakening of the currencies against the dollar.

What are Reebok's and the industry's advertising and public relations strategies?

It has been stated earlier that the main strategy for all American sports footwear company has been to depend on celebrity endorsements, apart from New Balance. Even they had tried it initially. New Balance advertising featured unknown athletes and was generally released in special magazines like Outside, New England Runner and prevention as also on cable TV channels like CNN, the Golf Channel and A&E. The main slogan of the company is 'Achieve New Balance' and the slogan has not changed in five years. The headlines for the advertising are also different and like 'Life sucks go for a run'. The media strategy is clearly targeted at older people. This is the reason for Reebok to worry as the main buyers for Reebok are older people and kids who cannot spend $80 to $90 for a pair of shoes. Will New Balance finally upset the Reebok balance?

Fade-Away Jump Shot

Basketball is one of the most popular games in America and the Caribbean. The game's core object is to drive the ball through an eighteen-centimeter backboard-supported hoop. There are a wide range of trajectories, spins, deflections and angles from which a shooter can choose. This explains the gravity-defying, jaw-breaking physical moves that are a common phenomenon in basketball. The foul, the bank, the fade-away, and the jump-shot are some of the major basketball shots. The fade-away, which forms the basis of this text, is a deadly basketball technique whereby instead of jumping perpendicularly from the floor, the shooter essentially directs himself away from the defender, i.e. 'fades.' He then releases the ball at the highest point of his jump's backward arc. In so doing, the shooter dips the shoulder in one direction, and then pushes off in the other, with the aim of fooling the defender into…

TV Advertising

Marketing success is almost always found in celebrity endorsements. We can take a look at Pepsi ads which have featured Madonna, Michael Jackson, Brittany Spears, and even Mike Tyson. Pepsi is known around the world, just as the celebrities whom are featured on the Pepsi commercials. In other words, in using the notoriety of celebrities, a corporation may be able to increase its market share into the pockets of consumers who are more familiar with the celebrity than the product. The celebrity thus is a bridge between the consumer and the product. But what happens when those celebrities are notorious for other things as well as their entertainment or sport talent? And why do the corporations continue to utilize these celebrities if these celebrities have been known to engage in improprieties or dubious activities?

Corporations have a business model that has multiple branches leading from three or four…