Ask Her More
The Oscars happened this past weekend, and it got me thinking about "moreness.” At last year’s ceremony, there was the campaign to #AskHerMore (it continued at the Olympics), meaning, instead of just asking the women what designer they were wearing, ask them about their achievements. You know, the stuff going on inside the mind in the dress.
And then, of course, there was Kobe Bryant, not even 2 years out of full-time basketballing, winning an Oscar for animation. In an interview with The Undefeated, he said that he loved storytelling as much as basketball; that his advice for athletes, whose career longevity is limited by age, find something they love outside the sport before they can no longer play.
I just couldn’t get over Kobe Bryant and his story-loving self. In that same interview, he was very clear about this vision for this project--that the text of it, his poem “Dear Basketball” needed a visual component; that it be in 2D animation to evoke the imperfections that come with building a career. I remember that poem, a farewell to his NBA career...and I remember thinking it wasn’t very good (In my household, we like to joke about Kobe’s rap career). But I also remember being intrigued that a poem was how he chose to part with that era of his life. Good or not, it was a choice for him to express himself that way; to sit down in the quiet of this significant life change, and put words to his feelings.
Many people weren’t happy that Bryant was nominated for the Oscar at all, and especially not that he won--it’s hard to forget the rape allegations that were filed against him in 2003. It was the first thought that popped into my mind after hearing he was nominated, just a passing little internal thought--“Isn’t he a rapist?” It’s strange how I was both drawn to this athlete’s quest to be more, and repulsed by something he’d done. I think the rape allegations, in a sense, exemplify the essence of “moreness”: that Bryant is more than a rapist, even if he’ll always be remembered as one.
(Image from Lebron James’ IG - his I Am More Than An Athlete campaign)
