ESPN.com - Page 2 guide to street cred

ESPN.com: Page 2

Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Page 2 guide to street cred

Page 2 staff

In the wake of the recent allegations made against Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, the issue of "street cred" has come flying to the surface. Marketers are even speculating that these allegations might finally give Kobe the "street cred" he needs to sell more shoes. But what exactly is "street cred"? And who has it? The defining characteristics of "street cred" remain unclear, so I've taken the liberty of drafting a chart to help sports fans distinguish which athletes have high amounts of street cred, which athletes have some street cred, and which athletes have absolutely no street cred. Just consult the chart below.

STREET CRED: A COMPARATIVE CHART
Category	High Street Cred	Some Street Cred	No Street Cred
Tattoo	"Thug Life:	A cross	Harry Potter
Cell phone ring tone	2Pac "Until the End of Time"	"Mission Impossible" theme	Celine Dion Chrysler ads
Cologne	Fahrenheit	Eternity	Old Spice
Slang term	"Fo shizzle my nizzle"	"Straight trippin', Boo"	"I'm not gonna pay a lot for this muffler"
Postgame props to ...	Jesus	Mom	Teletubbies
Retro clothes	Wes Unseld jersey	Mesh trucker hat	Aquaman underoos
Offseason hobby	Gangsta rapper	Jazz musician	Collecting "Hello Kitty!" memorabilia
Car feature	xbox	Geo-navigational device	"Baby On Board" sign
Cadillac Escalade Upholstery	Imported Italian leather	Suede	Something with cow prints
On-flight game of choice	Dominoes	Poker	Electronic Battleship
Parole violation	Driving under the influence	Skipping town without notifying proper authorities	Removing tags from mattress
Favorite periodic element	Cobalt	Lithium	Boron