"Kobe comes through in clutch for TV" by Ryan Shellenberger, Vol.8 issue 38 pg. 8

This article is about how Kobe Bryant’s latest scoring spree has sparked the ratings for the NBA. Kobe has averaged an amazing 42 points per game for the last 10 games and capped that off with an astonishing 81 point outbreak against the Toronto Raptors. There is a graph at the bottom of the article that shows how many items were sold on EBay related to Bryant. On Friday there was 172 items related to him sold, and by Monday (after the 81 point game) the number skyrocketed to 608 items. Video of Bryant’s 81 point game has already been made available for download on Google Video Store. Turner Sports spokesman Jeff Pomeroy said that they were definitely planning on doing more story lines around Kobe during the All-Star game to boost ratings.
I think all of this is a good idea and a good thing for the NBA. I am a huge basketball fan but I can’t even watch a pointless regular season game. I am also a Los Angeles fan, so I’m glad to see Kobe doing so well. Fans need a reason to watch the games sometimes, especially when it’s a long 82 game season. Watching a player score 40 plus points a game on a regular basis is a pretty good reason. Fans haven’t had someone that consistent since Michael Jordan. It’s very smart on the NBA’s part to use this to their advantage to market the league.
Kobe doesn’t have a good track record because of his charges in Colorado and his problems with past teammates, but most fans just want to be entertained. As long as Kobe is doing this, people will watch and enjoy and slowly forget about his past. There are many great athletes with bad pasts, but their performances always cover up their mistakes.