A day or so ago a Care2 online petition about Kobe Bryant’s animated short film, Dear Basketball, which has been Oscar-nominated, began collecting signatures. The petition demands that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences “rescind” the nomination for Dear Basketball because of the 2003 sexual assault case in which Bryant was accused of rape.

Dear Basketball was written and narrated by Bryant. The director is Glen Keane; the producer is Gennie Rim.

Boilerplate: “On 9.1.04 Eagle County District Judge Terry Ruckriegle dismissed the charges against Bryant, after prosecutors spent more than $200,000 preparing for trial, because his accuser informed them that she was unwilling to testify. Bryant subsequently admitted to an adulterous sexual encounter with his accuser, and then paid her off following a civil lawsuit.” Or something like that.

The signature count is now 15,807, but why does Care2 have a goal of 16,000 signatures? Why not 15,000 or 20,000 or 25,000? Just asking.