Jeremy Lin was born in America and is of Taiwanese descent. In his early years of basketball, he received no athletic scholarships and went undrafted into the NBA. Despite this rocky start, he is now the starting point guard for the New York Knicks. As you most likely have heard, the fervor of his fans has been given the title "Linsanity." Linsanity did not only begin recently, but is a carry over of the extreme fandom when he played for the Golden State Warriors. Many Asian Americans cheered him on and caused a great amount of pressure for Lin. It has been noted that Lin played better in games on the road where he did not have the pressure from his adoring fans who expected a great deal out of him. Even now, Lin continues to feel the pressure from Asian American fans across the country. While these fans may merely be proud of a fellow Asian American's success, it seems that Jeremy Lin feels the pressure to perform and succeed in being what might be called a "race hero." This leaves us with the question, does Jeremy Lin want to be a race hero, or is he like Althea Gibson, who wanted to be recognized for her athletic abilities?
Sarah Garcia
M,W 4-6:45
1 comment:
Interesting point Sarah. I'm glad you brought that out. Jeremy is just one of many members of a minority group who have succeded withouth scholarships. There re no valid excuses for not succeeding in life. Tim Wise promotes victimization and a vicious cycle of povery and stagnation among minority groups. I think Mr. Lin should be considered a great athlete and a great person more than a race hero.
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