Jeremy Lin Represents a New Breed of Basketball Stars

By: Summer Yasmin

“A Chink in the Armor” read ESPN’s Saturday headline after the New York Knicks ended their 7 game winning streak at New Orleans. It isn’t the first racial slur directed towards Knick’s starter Jeremy Lin, since his rise to phenomenon status. Lin is the first player of Chinese decent to play in the N.B.A. He is also the first Harvard grad to play in the league since 1953, making him the first Ivy League player in the N.B.A. since 2003. But this isn’t what makes Jeremy Lin a sensation. When the player made his N.B.A. debut with the Golden State Warriors in 2010, he barely caused a stir but he got his chance recently when Carmelo Anthony was rendered court side due to an injury. With the ball finally in his court, Lin has proven his worth. The player is the nucleus powering a flurry of consecutive wins for the Knicks.

His “against all odds” entry into basketball fame has resulted in “Linsanity”, the label given to the enthusiastic uproar his success has caused as well as the resulting media crush that the athlete is now the focus of. But with love also comes haters. Along with the praise, Lin has been on the receiving end of a few racially ignited taunts. Along with the insensitive ESPN headline, (which was promptly withdrawn with an apology after it came under public scrutiny) Saturday night live opened with a spoof of Linsanity and the crowd including Kevin Costner, Eva Longoria, Spike Lee, wearing Lin’s No. 4 Harvard jersey.

Undefeated boxer, Floyd Mayweather said “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.” This isn’t the first time Mayweather has expressed racially induced opinions towards a fellow athlete, namely the comments he made towards rival Manny Pacquiao in 2010. Thus, his comments can be written off as ignorance, but it still raises the question: How much of “Linsanity” can be attributed to Jeremy Lin’s unique background in the basketball world versus his actual skill as a player? Well the stats speak for themselves; given the way Lin is playing, he deserves the praise and attention regardless of what nationality he happens to be. It wasn’t his Chinese heritage that won those 7 games. Yes, his nationality does add an element of intrigue around his persona; Lin is the first of his kind to do what he has done. Perhaps this has pulled in some additional media coverage but what is wrong with that? The bottom line is still that Lin is holding the spotlight because of what he is doing on the court.

As far as African American players not getting the same feedback for doing what Lin is doing? They most certainly are! Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade are regarded as legends and known to be some of the best basketball players on earth. There was a time when blacks were forbidden from competing against white athletes. African American players have fought this battle, overcome the stereotypes and had their triumphs celebrated. They have long since established their place and don’t need to be championed, whereas Jeremy Lin is just on the cusp of this. He has turned another page in basketball history for much of the same reasons as the African American legends before him; an ethnic minority, rising above stereotypes by virtue of his superior skill and determination. Given the fact that not only is Lin playing amazingly, he has also broken through these stereotypes (who looks at a tall Asian guy from Harvard and thinks “basketball star”? ) renders him just as deserving of the spotlight as any other player with equivalent achievements.

In fact Jeremy Lin is proof that basketball (or any sport for that matter) isn’t about color, race, or nationality, it’s about raw skill, stand above talent and hard work, all which he has.