What about the other 151,000 people who died yesterday?

I'm sure those 151,000 people are being mourned by those that were close to them, just as Kobe and his daughter are right now. That being said, I'm not sure if any of those 151,000 people touched the lives of so many people, as Kobe did -- and that's not me putting down any of those 151,000 dead, it's just the truth, for someone in Kobe's position. For many, sports like basketball and football are something they grow up with, something that reminds them of times in their youth or with their family. There are people who watched Kobe's ascent to his successful NBA career from his high school days, and more still that grew up idolizing him for his performance inside the court and the messages he pushed outside. It's understandable that people may have felt close to a star player of one of the most celebrated teams in the sport's history, even if they weren't close to Kobe personally. Even if you look past Kobe's stardom, the untimely death of a 41 year old man along with his 13 year old daughter is tragic. I feel it's also worth considering that the death of a major figure can reignite some grief felt about others that have passed in one's life that WERE close to them. You don't have to care about the person to mourn them; regretting someone's death, and showing respect to the dead as well as others who are mourning are all part of the process.

While it's true that no one deserves special treatment, I think in this case your comment was rather callous and thoughtless.

Well said. Truly.

That poor mother :'( All their families are hit hard by this tradgedy. Not to mention Mrs. Bryant found out from TMZ, which must have hurt horribly

Thank you, very well said

Great reply, thank you for writing it up. Most convincing defense of sports and public mourning of prominent deaths that I've read.