The President Responds To The Kobe Tragedy

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49. It might be enough to step back and observe the national reaction.

I’m not into professional sports. Of course I knew about Kobe Bryant and also the many reasons for his stature in the game and in general. Sports is not really my thing, but I can so deeply appreciate the impact this man had. Holy Cow!

People are truly and deeply moved, and hurting. Just ponder for a moment what that says. Just consider what that says. Not just about the sports superstar who’s died, but how deep a mark he left on so many hearts.

Maybe the outpouring of sorrow is magnified by the times. Sweet Lordy these are sad times. Anyway. Hurtful times. Painful times. Already there. But mostly we’ve tried to hold it in a little, maybe vent and protest and argue here, but THIS - THIS is not anger. This is plain and simple hurt. Hurt that is now stepping forward in full. It had lurked in the shadows. Anger took center stage. But today allowed sorrow to step to the front.

I think it might be that much more intense now because of what this says about millions of Kobe Bryant fans. And one really does have to stop and marvel at the kind of mark this man left behind. Some other individual in the news who I will leave unnamed has been suffocating us all for too long. And sometimes, I guess, that suffocation is blown straight through, just finally erupting like a pent-up volcano. The contrast alone is frankly stunning.

And, frankly, it’s nice to be reminded that there are still quality people in the public eye. People who provide a genuine inspiration and role model to the good, who set a positive example all-around. Even when we lose one of ‘em.