Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez: Much Ado About Nothing

For a couple of months the two top stories in sports were where Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez were going to end up. Kobe Bryant demanded to be traded and there were several rumors about where he might end up. Alex Rodriquez had an option to get out of his current contract, which he took, and then became a free agent.

There was a lot of speculation about where Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez would be playing in the near future. The speculation was so wild that it was often the top story on Sportscenter over everything else going on. In the month of October Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez were talked about more than the Boston Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies, the two World Series teams.

It is now November 16th and Alex Rodriguez is a New York Yankee again and Kobe Bryant is still a Los Angeles Laker.

All this speculation about where they are going to play next and so far they are still on the same team. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still playing for the same team this time next month. I wouldn't be surprised if they are both still on the same team when the calendar strikes 2008. I wouldn't be surprised if they were still on the same teams at the end of the 2008 NBA season.

So why are we talking about them? I know it is Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant and the media loves to talk about them relentlessly, nobody should be taken aback by this. But it is exactly what is so frustrating about sports coverage.

Everybody is too busy worrying about what could happen and not paying attention to what is happening. There should be less talk about where Alex Rodriguez might sign or where Kobe Bryant might be traded and there should be more attention paid towards what is happening in the NBA or NHL or college basketball, or the NFL, or college football. There are plenty of things to talk about other than Alex Rodriguez and Kobe Bryant.

When a player finally signs a deal or finally gets traded then okay, go ahead and talk about that player and how they are going to help their team all you want. But don't do that until they are actually on the team. Until then don't worry about what could possibly maybe happen. Instead focus on what is happening.