People are Stupid, ESPN Edition

The subject of fairness is a pretty big deal in economics research lately.  So, this ESPN article making the case that poor Kobe's career so far has been unfair is, well, really freaking stupid.

I mean, really?

I'm forced to cite something else I read about fairness recently on Greg Mankiw's blog, where he cites P.J. O'Rourke:

This passage from P.J. O'Rourke sounded like a conversation I have often had with my children:

I have a 10 year old at home, and she is always saying, "That's not fair." When she says that, I say, "Honey, you're cute; that's not fair. Your family is pretty well off; that's not fair. You were born in America; that's not fair. Honey, you had better pray to God that things don't start getting fair for you.

Let's try to apply this to Kobe.  Bear with me because it's going to be really hard to find all the things that are similarly "unfair" for Kobe.  Oh, wait, I mean it's going to be really hard to limit the unfair things to several.

"Kobe, you've already won three titles and you are about the age Jordan was when he won his first.  That's not fair.  You are rich enough that whole rooms of full of rich people have less money than you do.  That's not fair.  You were accused of rape not so long ago but not only were you acquitted, the public seems to have completely forgotten about it and now you have somehow acquired a pretty clean image.  That's not fair.  You were born American but got to grow up traveling in Europe and learn several languages.  That's not fair.  Kobe, you better pray to God that things don't start getting fair for you."

Seriously.  Sports journalists, I know you suffer from some need to somehow make your stories seem more important than they really are (and I say that as a sports fan, for f***'s sake), but come on.  A whole piece about how life has been hitting Kobe a little too hard?  Really?