My first two blogs gave advice to athletes whom needed help with their reputation. This post will be different; this post will break down how Jason Kidd has built his over a great career.

Jason Kidd is normally seen as one of the most professional men in the National Basketball Association. He is so highly regarded that he was hired as a head coach of a flourishing team as soon as he announced his intent to retire. However, he has come into a little bit of controversy this off season.  Kidd was pulled over and issued a driving while under the influence citation. This came as a huge surprise to the league and the fans. Though this was big news, the stay did not linger like the story of Aldon Smith in last week's blog. So why the double standard in the media?

Jason Kidd has continuously built his reputation over his long career in the National Basketball Association by doing many little, and most times, unnoticed things. First, is his relationship with the League's referees. Most times the relationship between a referee and players will go unseen, however, sub-consciously, fans take not of players that whine or exaggerate on play calls that didn't go their teams way. Every time something went wrong on the court or some close call didn't go there way, Kidd was always seen calming and leading his team in a way that could only be described as acting as professional as possible while playing a game. This way of going about your business on the court is something that stays in the minds of both the fans and the media.

Another, and possibly the best way to get the media on your side is simply to talk to them anytime they ask. Any media member has the job of reporting the game and player reactions, and if you can make their job easier they will return the favor in the future with stories about the good things rather than the bad things happening in an athletes life. Kidd always made time for media members after games and when the fans needed a players perspective on certain topics. This relationship with the media makes it harder for them to turn their back on a source that has always been good to them.

Between the way Kidd presented himself on and off the court and the way he treated the media has allowed for this large mistake to be almost brushed under the rug. A DWI is a serious offense, but J Kidd seemed to squeak through this mess virtually unscathed, similar to the way he would do his work on the court. Every athlete should look at this situation and take a page out of Kidd's well-written book.