The Bad Ash Blog

I have a box of tissues by my side. A glass of water. A pen. Some paper. And, out of the ordinary, ESPN is not playing on the TV in the background. Kobe. I thought so highly of him. Oh, what Kobe meant to me. What Kobe meant to all of us. Legend. Hero. Goat (one of my most treasured sports debates). Icon. Brother. Son. Husband. Father. I wear my #24 Hollywood jersey differently now. I wear my purple Kobe X’s differently now. Every single Kobe highlight I watch, I watch differently now. That time that I went and watched him play in Chicago, I remember it differently now … but how I view Kobe will forever remain the same. My boyfriend and I began to talk about our favorite Kobe memories yesterday and you couldn’t help but to just … feel your blood began to pump faster, clinch your fists, grit your teeth … you know, full-on Mamba Face. It signifies so much. Invincible is the word he kept bringing up in our conversation. Man, we sure do love Bean. Go hard. ...

Every sports-enthusiast has a personal Mount Rushmore, right?  I sat down to create mine because I have never documented one... Well, I quickly began to realize how difficult it was to justify just four athletes.  Now my Mt. Rushmore is dedicated to the athletes of MY lifetime. There is no Michael Jordan, Jessie Jackson, Bill Russell, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Jerry Rice, or Jim Brown on my mount. I may have been alive while MJ was playing, but I was not old enough to appreciate what he gave to the game.  Now many athletes may come with some sort of baggage, we all know that. Professional athletes are human, too. As I was stating a few of my Mt. Rushmore candidates I was chatting with a good friend of mine and former professor, Dr. Goldsmith. He brought up the scandals that may have went with these candidates and could possibly tarnish them being on the mount.  Sorry... He was my first thought. Therefore, I must clarify before I justify. The on...