Nike recently ran an advertisement in SI with a slogan of “Prepare for Combat”. In it Bryant says, “I’ll do whatever it takes to win games. I don’t leave anything in the chamber.” Lebron James of the Cleveland Cav’s states “Opposing teams don’t realize I was a football player first. I can take those hits and give a few back too.”
An LA Times blogger decided it was time to get a bit over-sensitive with an “oops, bad timing” as this comes on the heels of the Gilbert Arenas suspension for a gun violation. Although sports stars commonly make associations between the games they play and war, I find this a bit of a stretch. After all, Kobe does play the position of Shooting Guard. Should the position be renamed?
If you really want something ridiculous, here is a snippet of a KG interview before Game 7 of their 2004 series with the Kings. “It’s for all the marbles. I’m sitting in the house loading up the pump, I’m loading up the Uzis, I’ve got a couple of M-16s, couple of nines, couple of joints with some silencers on them, couple of grenades, got a missile launcher. I’m ready for war.”