Post#1563 » by Vae Victus » Sat Oct 17, 2015 11:57 pm
Pity he's not playing....
Err right. I think i need to set some things straight for about at least a significant % of Lin's fanbase. And better explain the Jackie Robinson metaphor that is often poorly explained.
A significant chunk of his fans are Taiwanese(Chinese)-American. He's one of OUR own. Yao Ming, superstar that he was, is MAINLAND-CHINESE, and thus belongs to China as their hero/idol (not that it stopped me from squeeing like a fangirl at his accomplishments, we asian males need to take our heroes wherever we can get em). Not to mention he's a goddamn genetic freak of a giant, that literally encapsulates the fact that you must be a freak of nature to get in as an Asian. Lin literally represents the hopes and dreams of alot of us (more average sized mortals) that were denied in not only way we are looked upon, but also at what we can possibly accomplish in the sports world. Essentially Asian-Americans can be pro athletes too.
Lin was able to break through and show the world that not all asian men are nerdy geeks and show Chinese/Taiwanese parents that YES, your asian american kid CAN succeed in professional sports. Even without his insane Linsanity run, which only really hyped him up to the casuals, an asian-AMERICAN can make the big show.
Lemme give a personal example. I was 2 sport star in HS (bball and football). I was a HUGE 6'3" athletic terror of a 2 way linemen (270 lbs, 4.9s 40m dash) on the gridiron (bball sure helped with the footwork/speed), breaking local, albeit lower, divisional records. A bunch of the lesser D1 schools were actually scouting me (Oregon before they got good, Oregon State, Washington, a few others). My dream was to get a scholarship to play for one of the better Pac-10 programs like Stanford, Cal, UCLA, USC. Failing to get a scholarship i was hoping to get in on basis of my grades and walk on. Sadly my grades werent the toppest of notches (3.6 gpa, 1500 SAT light on extracurrics except sports) and none of my dream football schools offered me a scholarship, the others i didnt even bother to reply or answer. Of the 4 listed i was only able to get into USC, which at the time was ALOT easier to get into compared to nowadays (and my bro was an alum too). Well whatever, no academic/athletic scholarship, my family's rich, i'm ready to accept and see how much ass i can kick on the field and who knows maybe i can make the NFL and join Dat Nguyen as another asian.
My mom told me flat out (damn dad was a pushover cuz while he did want me to play but didnt want to fight for it), if i play ANY organized sport that actively takes significant time from my studies that they WILL NOT PAY for my tuition. Now USC isnt cheap and being the ignorant HS kid who didnt know much except loans are EVIL, i had my sports dreams crushed right then and there. Maybe if i had gotten into UCLA or Cal with its MUCH lower tuition, i can thumb my nose at my mom, borrow money, and just go. I begged my grandparents and other relatives to support me, or help pay for my USC tuition, but they agreed with my mom that sports should NOT take time away from my studies, and that i should stop WASTING it since it's not like i was gonnna make it to the NFL or something. So off i went to UCSD bummed with life, my older bro (by 6 years) who went to USC was bummed too, he tried to walk on and didnt get far (he was 6'1" 230, he just didnt have the size/talent). He simply told me i had the talent to hang, and if he coulda paid for me he would have, just to give me a shot....
Now 9 years later here comes Jeremy, obviously people like me and my bro jumped on that bandwagon while he was at Harvard, cuz here's some lil asian dude showing up NBA prospects! Then he makes the NBA by the slimmest of margins, we celebrate wildly cuz one OF OUR OWN MADE IT.... then Linsanity happens and he's the toast of the world and asian mothers all over wished they had HIM as their son....
For alot of his fans it's pretty much racial, religious, or a fad. For a few like me, its WAAAAAAY personal. Nowadays, i always wonder, what if i had tried walking on at USC, what if i had the courage to believe more in myself, what if we had his example to point at (i did try to use Dat Nguyen as an example but my mom spat at it just saying he's "Vietnamese")... from that day my father, brother, and me, we just wonder and live with regret that i never was allowed to try (my dad is hit with the guilt the most).
THIS is where the Jackie Robinson metaphor comes
