I’ve only ever owned one NBA jersey, it was a yellow number 8 Kobe jersey. I was maybe 9 years old when I got it. Kobe was one of two athletes who I actually idolized, Brett Favre being the other.

I remember being near tears when Reggie White died, I also remember not knowing why.

I have never been a huge NBA fan but I enjoyed it. Kobe was bigger than basketball. He was the young gun, he represented my area, he was the greatest of all time in my eyes and those of many others. Watching him grow against those I knew as the greats was a pleasure. He was an amazing role model and even after retiring had moved into making an impact in the world.

Hearing that he died tonight is hard to accept and hard to believe. As one of the largest celebrities of my lifetime, I’ve always just assumed he would be there. Obviously, no one lives forever. But a death of this magnitude always wakes people up a bit. RIP Kobe.

In another note of loss but far less somber is the falling of IE in the FT rankings again. I already can see anger in my classmate group chats. Many want money back because they “paid for the rankings and to get the chance for recruiting”. Not to be a traitor or anything, but I actually am upset by their claims.

Maybe the school is dropping in rankings because people view the school as a place to buy access to good companies, rather than a place to become a person fitting of a great company. Maybe instead of focusing on anger at the school, you could focus on improving yourself and getting the value that you paid for.

I don’t know, I just generally dislike public showings of anger. I hope that they resolve things quickly, if there is any recompense, I’ll gladly accept, but I think asking for it is very naive.

Anyways, this has been a weird night — be grateful you have what you have and sleep well.

Good night.