Sad news surfaced on the morning of Sunday, January 26th. Kobe Bryant and 8 other people, including his 13 year old daughter, Gianna, had been killed in a helicopter crash in the Calabasas Hills. With such a tragic death, many fans are reminiscing about his life. In his basketball career he was known as a player who would stop at nothing to win. This brought him many fans, as well as many haters. He has become "The Hero" archetype to many all over the world. He is loved in many Asian countries like China and Taiwan who have a huge love of basketball. He is loved in Italy because he lived there for a part of his life and other European countries because of his love for Soccer. He is especially loved in America, among many different races and cultures, but especially for African-Americans. He represents this drive to be the best that you can possibly be and to live up to the legend that you have created for yourself. Kobe Bryant is the Hero to many, and now that he has passed away this label is larger than life. He is now a legend. Although Kobe is seen as the Hero, he wasn't always seen as this type. For awhile he was involved in scandal. He was known to fit into the Trickster archetype, because of people loving him and his basketball prowess but also because he had an rape allegation against him in July of 2003. This shows us that because he was able to settle the case against him, (although those are still unsure if he was innocent or not) that if you succeed amongst the public eye, your label can be changed and manipulated into one that is better. Kobe is a legend and will be seen as one for decades to come, but I believe that Kobe is a perfect example of the myth of journalism and becoming "The Hero."
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