WSU Researcher: Race Permeates Kobe Bryant Rape Trial

PULLMAN, Wash. – New research by David Leonard, assistant professor in comparative ethnic studies at Washington State University, suggests that race will play a role in the rape trial of NBA star Kobe Bryant when the trial begins later this month in Denver, Colo., despite claims to the contrary.

Leonard’s findings are detailed in the latest issue of Journal of Sport and Social Issues. In the article “The Next MJ or the next OJ? Kobe Bryant, Race and the Absurdity of Colorblind Rhetoric,” Leonard explores the centrality of race and its intersections with gender, class and sexuality in both the adoration and condemnation of contemporary black athletes.

“Despite persistent claims that race would not matter in the case unless his lawyers played the race card, race sits at the center of media and community reaction,” Leonard said. “Whether through media coverage about an epidemic of criminal activities among NBA players, polls and online chat rooms, racially influenced ideas continued to guide both coverage and understanding of the case.”

In this essay, Leonard explores what he calls “the absurdity of colorblind rhetoric” related to Bryant’s rape trial. “This paper reveals how colorblind ideologies that dominate public discussions conflict with the highly racialized conversations happening throughout the country,” Leonard said.

According to Leonard, celebrity does not erase race or experiences with racism. Leonard said the Bryant case brought to the forefront a new, complex and emotionally charged issue, interrogating race and gender at same time. “The tendency is to either support Kobe and condemn the alleged victim or condemn Kobe and support the alleged victim. We need a language that opposes racism and misogyny in the form of rape,” he said.