Written by Erin Martin, Staff Writer

Many people know Lamar Odom for winning Laker championships, and being married to Khloe Kardashian. But there are many things that people may not have known about Odom that is starting to surface and raise a lot of eyebrows.

When Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel, many questioned how things could have gone awry so fast for the ex-star NBA player. While Odom was in a coma, he received a lot of support, well wishes, and prayers, but scrutiny soon followed when he finally regained consciousness.

As speculators, we will never know what really happened. Illegal drug use had been rumored for a while, but it was never really confirmed. What we do know now, is that there is a true prevalence of sex work in America. Odom paid over $10,000 to reserve a three bedroom suite at the brothel. This situation coming out brought about a whirlwind of other issues concerning sex workers in America. In the U.S., 70,000 to 80,000 people are arrested for prostitution in one year.

Professional athletes often fly under the radar for being exposed for using drugs, and even more for doing things like visiting brothels. If this situation happened to a man who was not a celebrity, it would not be publicized or acknowledged for that matter. However, Odom has received immense media attention lately, not about the condition of his health, but more so about the events that led to his incident.

Hopefully, all of the publicity can serve as a learning experience for Odom, and a warning to many others.