Please note that this post is "future dated" because it's poll-related. For posts which were written after this one, but have their actual date attached to them, please scroll down. Thank you.
Ever since "Linsanity" took the world by storm, I've been planning on writing a post about the man who inspired the term... New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. As of this writing, the New York Knicks are 8-1 since February 4 (the date Lin began playing substantial minutes for them). The superb numbers Lin has put up in his first eight NBA starts had the crew on NBA Sunday comparing his stats to the first 8 pro starts of Hall of Fame point guards Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and John Stockton.
Lin's success hasn't gone unnoticed by the non-sports media either, receiving coverage on regular newscasts, inspiring jokes by late night TV hosts, as well as a skit on the 2/18 edition of SNL. The meteoric rise of Jeremy Lin and the way his success has captured the imagination of sports fans and non-fans alike is a combination we don't see too often in sports. The other similar instances in my lifetime that come to mind are Mark "The Bird" Fidrych and William "The Refrigerator" Perry.
Jeremy Lin's "out-of-nowhere" success is all the more amazing given his previous "underdog" status:
- Despite being named first-team All-State and Northern California Division II Player of the Year during his senior year in high school, Lin failed to receive any college athletic scholarship offers. He wound up attending Harvard (which like other Ivy League schools, does not offer athletic scholarships)
- Although he had a successful hoops career at Harvard, Lin was undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft
- After his first year, he was waived by the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets in the preseason before joining the Knicks early in the 2011-2012 season.
- The Knicks considered releasing Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10 so they could sign a new player.
Two of the stories which have arisen in the wake of "Linsanity" are the subject of the two poll questions I've posted. One involves whether or not the Jeremy Lin hype is caused by race. The question first arose after heavyweight boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote the following on his Twitter page, "Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he's Asian. Black players do what he does every night and don't get the same praise."
The other poll deals with ESPN firing one employee and suspending another over the use of the term "chink in the armor" in relation to Lin. On the night of February 18, Anthony Federico posted the following headline on ESPN’s mobile website: "Chink in the Armor: Jeremy Lin's 9 Turnovers Cost Knicks in Streak-Snapping Loss to Hornets." By Sunday afternoon, Federico was cut loose by ESPN. Also on 2/18, ESPNews television personality Max Bretos posed the following question about Lin live on the air: "If there is a chink in the armor, where can he improve his game?" As a result, Bretos was given a 30-day suspension.
After voting in the polls, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section of this post. In the clip below, the panel of ESPN First Take discuss the role that race plays in the Jeremy Lin hype.
5 comments:
Race certainly plays a part. Although black players doing the same every night is something of Floyd's imagination - like thinking he can beat Manny in a fight.
Not every player goes undrafted, gets passed around like an unwanted foster kid, and then goes nuts out of nowhere with big-time points, dime assists, game-winning shots, and contagious electricity. Any player doing that would get buzz.
Linsanity is after Vinsanity, after all. But because the league is primarily black, there is shock value when an Asian kid goes bonkers. But I'd say that's a sore thumb thing for most outside of the Asian community.
First, Floyd's tweet was offensive and insulting. Typical of him, so I wasn't surprised. And, no, Floyd, we don't have black players achieving that level of performance every night. The one's that DO have a good night, get discussed over-and-over-and-over again the following day on ESPN and NBA TV. The ignorance going on over at ESPN regarding a "chink in the armor" has reached an embarrassing level. They are considered THE source for all things sports. There is a high-level of accountability that goes with that. We are seeing that now. I realize the term "chink" is an outdated slur... Many young people today may not even be aware that word was accepted and regularly used in our society not too long ago. That being said, it's no excuse for the two reporters who used the offensive term. The audible was quick, said once and not repeated. The mobile site headline was seen by thousands in the short time it was posted. I believe appropriate actions were taken in each case and I am hoping that going forward, those filtering ESPN's content will be more careful.
Linsanity has been a great American story. When you look at this guy's path and where he is today, it brings back the belief that if you work hard enough, you can be great, regardless of whether or not you are a recognized "star" athlete. I think those of us in the 99% are inspired that circumstances can still exist for this type of success, for "the little guy". The fact that Jeremy Lin is Asian-American makes it even more incredible because there have been so few NBA players in that category. Now, if we can just educate people on how to cover this story without using racist terms. The biggest argument I have heard is that "chink in the armor" is a perfectly acceptable phrase in context. However, when part of that phrase is a derogatory ethnic slur, the point becomes mute. It's only cute/funny/acceptable if YOU are NOT Asian. If you ARE Asian, the history and years of baggage attached to the term "chink" far outweigh a catchy-headline --- so that we can all have a good chuckle at the expense of Asians. Unfortunately, the floodgates open with this story. There have been many inappropriate, offensive references to Asians since this story broke. Fortune cookies, broken-English headlines, beating a gong, chinese take-out jokes, and on and on and on... We have come a long way since World Wars I & II... We have thousands of Asian Americans who fought for freedom, fought for this country and continue to do so in armed services today. America. It's time to bury this word for good.
Shame on you for even considering the race issue.
Is that all you ever think about?
There is no race or ethnicity in professional Basketball,contrary to your beliefs, it all in the minds of people who are so predigest that they put it into peoples minds. .
Predigest? Why are you talking about pre-eaten food?
Josh: I think the only times I've heard "chink" used as a racial slur, it was in the movies or on TV. Then again, maybe I'm not hearing it because I'm not Asian and I don't have any Asian friends. Even the term "chink in the armor" seems to be in decline. Whether the decline is due to people self-policing themselves in a PC environment or just a natural progression is anyone's guess.
Federico says the headline he posted on ESPN.com was an honest mistake. Only he knows for sure. The only thing we do know for sure is that he's an ex-ESPN employee.
Teresa: Although Floyd Mayweather's tweet wasn't the most eloquent, it has gotten people to discuss the Jeremy Lin phenom from a racial perspective. I think the fact that Lin is Asian explains some of the hype, but not all of it.
The Jeremy Lin story is a great one. Outside of rooting for them when they faced the Bulls during the 1990s in the playoffs, I've never really cared for the Knicks one way or the other. However, I was caught up in Linsanity when I watched him play live on TV for the first time a couple of Sundays ago against the Mavs!
"James Washington": I have a hunch you're someone who's trolled here before, but under different names. If you are, you should at least switch up your rhetoric and learn how to spell "prejudiced". Not that I care if you're using multiple names (assuming it's true)... I actually find it kind of amusing.
dmarks: Good one! Apparently, "James Washington" doesn't have spell check.
Post a Comment