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Mayweather on Lin: "All the hype is because he's Asian"
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akgolf
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:53 pm Post subject:

superboy wrote:

akgolf wrote:

superboy wrote:

LakerJosh wrote:

superboy wrote:

All this uber-sensitivity in this thread shows just one thing for sure...pnp's got more balls than all of us.

Or maybe, just maybe, some of us aren't hyped because he's asian, but because of his story and because of how he is balling in his first 6 starts.

Yeah, sure other guys have come out of the second round. Name another player that wasn't given a college scholarship, went undrafted, got dropped by two teams, was about to be dropped by a third team and then balled like this in his first 7 games with serious minutes?

Can you HONESTLY name another player with that story? PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NAME somebody with a story that good in terms of basketball, not upbringing.

Sure there were guys that had it rough growing up, or got drafted in the second round, but nobody has been in his situation, and just blown away everybody's perceptions quite like Lin. ON TOP of that, he's Asian American. If he were not balling there would be no story here.

If Jackie Robinson weren't a great player, would we revere him as much as we do today for breaking the color barrier? No, he would simply be a footnote in history. You know what he is revered, because he was a fantastic player AND he broke the color barrier.

If Jackie Robinson wasn't black, would you be bringing him up right now?

Look...none of us WANT this to be about race. But it is. Deal with it. And stop lying to yourself.

Did you even read his post?

All you got was Jackie Robinson was black?

I read it. I disagree. I think it's much more about race than any other story angle such as going to Harvard, his upbringing, etc. All the players have some kind of interesting story. Trying to make the point that his story is singular and that's the majority of the reason for the hype doesn't work for me. I can pick any player and find out details about his story that makes him exactly unique...and I can ask the same "PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NAME ..." question.

When it's all said and done, Lin is primarily going to be known as the first professional Chinese point guard in the NBA. Why there is anything negative associated with this, I have no idea. Race makes people nervous, so what? We all deal with it every day. You're like the guy who looks at someone who's black or white and says "I don't see race". What does that mean? Like, you can't see that he's a different color than you? If I see a black man, I'm aware that this is a black person. So what? When I see a tall man, I'm aware the person is tall. So what? When I see someone without a mustache, I'm aware that he doesn't have a mustache. So what? But if someone comes up to me and says "Did you notice he doesn't have a mustache?" I wouldn't say "Oh wow...I didn't even notice." That would be a lie.

So if you ask me, is Lin's hype mostly about being Chinese, I would say of course! So what? I know it, my Chinese friends knows it, pnp knows it, his Chinese friends know it. It's like you have some kind of internal brain struggle going on where your brain is trying to reduce the significance of the Chinese angle and lower it to be the same as the unique number of brothers and sisters he has...so you can say, "it's really not about race".

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

That being said I think the current hype and exposure has nothing to do with his race. The fact that he was undrafted and dropped by two teams and is now tearing it up is enough regardless. I think if he was white you'd still have "Linsanity". I don't see how anyone could see otherwise unless they have race issues.

It's an amazing story and one that I hope continues.

jodeke
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:00 pm Post subject:

akgolf wrote:

Quote:

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

I think Yao Ming would disagree with your statement.
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superboy
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:03 pm Post subject:

mhan00 wrote:

Are people really missing the reason why he's getting hyped? Chinese Americans, like myself, love him because he's a Chinese American doing well in the NBA, true, but we compose a small minority of the people getting hyped by this guy. The real reason why he's getting hyped by everyone and their mother is because he's doing this on the KNICKS. A team that was supposed to be a super power in the East with Stoudemire and the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony, and then proceeded to fall flat on its face and go 8-15 in their first 23 games heading straight for the lottery. He gets playing time out of pure desperation from D'Antoni against the Nets and he leads the Knicks to victory. Amare and Stoudemire both proceed to miss the next 5 or so games and Lin leads the superstarless Knicks, biggest market in the league, to 6 straight victories.

A complete unknown guy, cut from 2 teams, acquired by a 3rd whose head coach was heard musing that Lin was a waste of a spot and would never get time, was about to get cut again before the coach gave him a shot and he just blew up, saving the season of the supposed power house Knicks. The fact that he's a Chinese American (or Taiwanese American if you want to get picky) is what gets us Chinese Americans hyped, but the rest of the story is what is getting everyone else (and the VAST MAJORITY of NBA fans are not Chinese American or Asian American) hyped and worked up about the kid. Everyone loves an underdog story, and he's been an underdog basically his entire career. He's a great story.

I think you're missing the point that a lot of non-Chinese people are rooting for him for the same reason you are. I don't think Chinese people are the only ones that are enjoying the racial barrier going down. A lot of people do. that's why pnp went to see him. That's why we're rooting for him (when he doesn't play the Lakers). This is something that is good for everyone. There are still racial barriers to take down in this country, so whenever something like this happens, we are all excited about it. And to lessen the importance of the race angle is ignoring the fact that racial barriers still exist.

lakersken80
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:07 pm Post subject:

jodeke wrote:

akgolf wrote:

Quote:

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

I think Yao Ming would disagree with your statement.

LOL, did he not pay attention to the NBA from 2002-2011?

akgolf
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Location: Edmond, Oklahoma

Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:12 pm Post subject:

jodeke wrote:

akgolf wrote:

Quote:

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

I think Yao Ming would disagree with your statement.

Not thinking tonight. Packing for a trip and poping in and out.

mirak
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:33 pm Post subject:

He's the underdog. If you love sports, you love the underdog. And it doesn't hurt that he seems like such a decent kid.

Omar Little
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:40 pm Post subject:

akgolf wrote:

jodeke wrote:

akgolf wrote:

Quote:

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

I think Yao Ming would disagree with your statement.

Not thinking tonight. Packing for a trip and poping in and out.

In and out is illegal for popes...
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akgolf
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Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 10:49 pm Post subject:

24 wrote:

akgolf wrote:

jodeke wrote:

akgolf wrote:

Quote:

I agree that if he pans out and I think he will, he will be known as the first good asian player.

I think Yao Ming would disagree with your statement.

Not thinking tonight. Packing for a trip and poping in and out.

In and out is illegal for popes...

And well it should be.

Koalita
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Posts: 902

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:06 am Post subject:

For ppl arguing "it's bc he's Asian", I think the argument should be: he was the underdog because of it... bc of it, no Div I College gave him a scholarship, maybe because of it he went undrafted.... but once you are playing in the NBA, the beautiful part of this story is that he got cut twice, was on the edge for a third cut and probably going into D-League or overseas to play... and then BAM! NYK 8-15 to 15-15, 7-0 since he plays, 6-0 since he has started... broke all starter records... That has nothing to do with being Asian. Of course the marketing impact of being asian is part of the Hype. But the boy can ball, that is the story. A twice cut, undraftee, out of rotation boy, who comes and leads Knicks to a 7-0 stint. OTOH: Mayweather is waiting for father time to KO Pac, as he clearly fears entering the ring risking his "undefeated" career.

Trey
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:04 am Post subject:

Maybe if we could get past his race we could learn something about will and determination.. all this discussion about where some sperms were shot doesn't have much to do with who HE is... His drive and competitiveness and courage are not because of his race.. they are HIS CHOICES

jodeke
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 8:09 am Post subject:

mhan00 wrote:

@superboy & postandpivot

You both have been speaking for the Asian community. This is the opinion of a Asian. I'll take his/her word concerning the pulse of the community, a community of which he/she is a member of, above yours.

superboy you went so far as to dispute a member of said community. SMH

Quote:

I think you're missing the point that a lot of non-Chinese people are rooting for him for the same reason you are

That statement is contradictory to say the least. You've been saying people are rooting for him because he's Asian. Here you say a Asian is missing the point, some people are rooting for him for the same reason, he's the underdog.

You're confusing me. On which side of the fence are you planting your grass?
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Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

postandpivot
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:23 am Post subject:

Drifts wrote:

icedwhite wrote:

PurpleAndGold24 wrote:

Mayweather such a joke. And I hope he's going to fight Pacquiao. So Pac-man can beat the sh1t outtttt of him.

you can be mad at floyd for what he said, but pac ain't beating floyd. real boxing fans know floyd will pick him apart.

Floyd knows Pac will beat him at their prime... why do you think he's been running the past 3 year?

now, Floyd will fight Pacman when they are older, when Pac is slower and his power is diminished... Floyd is too scared to fight Pac in their primes.

Truth.

lol at you. as if mayweather isnt also aging at the same time pac is aging. we dont know who would beat who. what i do know is mayweather in his prime and pac in his prime. the vegas odds would go to mayweather. because he's naturally bigger. so unless they force may to go down in weight. pacman would have a tougher time with may then he has ever had with anyone. may in his prime never gets hit. no more target practice for pacman. mayweather is a supreme counter puncher. which is the anti pacman. in addition mayweathers hands in his prime are as quick as manny's in his prime. so a naturally bigger guy with superb defense, movement, and superb counters, with superb speed. should be enough to beat pacman, atleast on paper. so never talk about why floyd ran so long. they are both aging at the same time. best believe pacman didnt want to lose to may during may's prime.
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postandpivot
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:26 am Post subject:

jodeke wrote:

mhan00 wrote:

Quote:

I think you're missing the point that a lot of non-Chinese people are rooting for him for the same reason you are

the fact he's asian, makes him an underdog. why? because there arent to many balling asians that have touched the nba. especially non that arent above 6'10.

you see how the colleges treated him. the guy was a baller back in high school. still no love from these colleges. RIDICULOUS. then again No Love from the nba.RIDICULOUS. the same reason he's a hero today is the same reason these idiots didnt see his game for what it was back then. they saw asian guy and ASSUMED he couldnt be good enough.

now they see asian guy and its a Rudy story x a million lol.

let me make it more clear.

they say "whitemen cant jump" you have a dunk contest. guys in their prime. Griffin, Kobe, Vince, Mjay, and Brent Barry.

if Brent barry does the same dunk that vince, mjay, griffin and kobe do. he would get higher marks. WHY? because everyone will be like

the white boy cannnn jump. vs just seeing another athletic ball player jumping.
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LAL4K3RS wrote: He(Kobe) is the white haired kung fu master that you realize is older than dirt but can still kick your arse when in a sitting position drinking a nice herbal tea.

postandpivot
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:33 am Post subject:

Trey wrote:

Maybe if we could get past his race we could learn something about will and determination.. all this discussion about where some sperms were shot doesn't have much to do with who HE is... His drive and competitiveness and courage are not because of his race.. they are HIS CHOICES

we are past his race. mayweather isnt. lol. we're just rehashing the original Lin discussions. right now i'm just applauding the guy. i hope he never loses(unitl its vs the lakers again). if the lakers dont win it all. i would love for him and knicks to steal one this year. so he can be the first ASIAN, harvard kid to ever lead a nba team to a ring. i bet you then people wont want to take off the asian tag. he's asian thats a part of who he is. there's no reason you have to act like it isnt.
its like some women say "i want to be known as just a good player, not a good women player". but you're a women. whats wrong with being who you are and being aknowledged for everything you are.

especially if you're a woman who play vs other woman and not men. now if you play against both. by all means be known as a GOOD player period. cause you can handle your own vs both sexes.

its nothing wrong with loving the guy for all that he is. asian underdog, harvard grad, that got no love from anyone since he graduated high school.
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LAL4K3RS wrote: He(Kobe) is the white haired kung fu master that you realize is older than dirt but can still kick your arse when in a sitting position drinking a nice herbal tea.

KBH
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 11:58 am Post subject:

superboy wrote:

mhan00 wrote:

I agree with you in the sense that there is a big desire in this country that proving that you're not racist comes by acting as if you don't see it and it makes no difference in our upbringing and how we view others. I only disagree in the sense that you and pnp are saying that it is the MAIN reason and that is just not true.

There is a certain fairytale aspect to Lin's story. He has been overlooked the vast majority of his basketball life (and I would say being Asian American is a BIG reason why he was overlooked), he was cut twice and picked up by the big city Knicks who have been waiting years for a basketball revival (while the Knicks two best, highest paid players are out, no less). Of all people to bring that excitement it's the underdog who also happens to be an Asian American. Being Asian American is part of his underdog story but saying it's 90% of it like pnp said is taking it too far.

My best friend, who's a casual NBA fan, asked me last week "who's this Asian guy balling for the Knicks?" So obviously it plays a role but that's not why it's so captivating. A (black) girl friend of mine had a status update on facebook that was "So who's this Jeremy Lin guy, I'm hearing about?" I responded to it by mentioning he was Asian American but detailing everything about him and she loved the story in itself. The Asian thing helps the story but being Asian doesn't MAKE the story.

Trey
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:49 pm Post subject:

postandpivot wrote:

Trey wrote:

There is a lot of truth to him getting a larger focus because of his race.. sure. Just that "That guy" should not say it is the only reason

It is our self created prejudices that let things be our first answer.. I like how I can catch my prejudices way fast when my mind shows me one..

He is Asian.. but that has very little bearing on his success in athletics..

The racial stereotypes can be frustrating..
blacks are stronger
asians are smarter
whites are more ruthless/evil
bla bla bla

Won't be too far away when we are just one race or much closer to it.. people .. especially religious people don't even see humans as a "species"

FWIW.. this discussion has made me remember this man who I will now read more about..
http://www.notablebiographies.com/news/A-Ca/Carson-Benjamin-Solomon.html

jodeke
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 1:21 pm Post subject:

postandpivot Maybe what you say is true, I won't affirm or deny. What does that have to do with my and others contention that Lin is being hyped primarily because he's balling? You say it's mainly because he's Asian. A member of the Asian community refutes that contention. I, and others, join with him, not you in that stance. You're playing the race card. I, and others, disagree. We say it's because he's balling. Does his being of the Asian persuasion have any thing to do with the hype, YES, as much as you contend, IMO, NO.? _________________ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

composite
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:10 pm Post subject:

superboy wrote:

Trey wrote:

EASY QUESTION to end all this BS

If he was african american or w/e..

Is he playing really good basketball for a 2nd year player?

PER 24.67 -- above Kobe

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics

I don't think anybody is claiming that he's not playing some good basketball. It's not like they're exclusive things. You can play good basketball and be first Chinese NBA pg. But without the Chinese part, this thread wouldn't be this long.

This is the exact same thing we went through with jason williams...jayson?? I don't remember...white chocolate, whichever that one was.

You really think all the hype is b/c ... he's Asian?

Child, please. Look @ Tebow. Do you think all the Tebow hype was b/c he's white?

Of course not. It's b/c he's a winner.

Same with Lin. Look @ the Knicks pre-Lin. 8-15 W-L record. Best 2 starters are out. They're so desperate at their PG position, they turn to one of their last benchwarmers.

He puts up the most prolific 4-game scoring bing of any first-time starter since 1976! He has a higher efficiency ratios than KB24. He leads NYK on a 7-game winning streak - all without their best 2 players. He even shoots the buzzer-beating, game winning 3 pointer to steal a victory from Toronto.

Yeah, the fact that he's Asian adds more interest to the story. Why not? There's no Asians in the NBA. But I don't care what color he is, this is a story. Yeah, even if he were black.

Reflexx
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 2:24 pm Post subject:

I heard that Mayweather is only popular because he's legally brain dead. It's a cool story. Being able to go through life, having to overcome the adversity that accompanies the absence of a brain. But he's done it. Props.

jodeke
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 3:20 pm Post subject:

superboy wrote:

Quote:

I don't think anybody is claiming that he's not playing some good basketball. It's not like they're exclusive things. You can play good basketball and be first Chinese NBA pg. But without the Chinese part, this thread wouldn't be this long.
This is the exact same thing we went through with jason williams...jayson?? I don't remember...white chocolate, whichever that one was.

NO Give another thought to the reason for the length of the thread.

It could be people attempting to give you and the minority who think as you do another reason for the season.
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Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.

composite
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Posts: 3043

Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:26 pm Post subject:

Floyd Maywether's comments about Lin reminds me of something Isiah Thomas said about Larry Bird 20 years ago.

Quote:

With five seconds left in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals, which Boston went on to win in seven games, Bird intercepted an inbounds pass from the Detroit Pistons’ Isiah Thomas and passed it to Dennis Johnson for a game-winning layup. In the aftermath, Thomas complained that if Bird were black, “he’d be just another good guy,” not the superstar he was.

Stupid comment then. Stupid comment now.

Drifts
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 4:49 pm Post subject:

postandpivot wrote:

Drifts wrote:

icedwhite wrote:

PurpleAndGold24 wrote:

Mayweather such a joke. And I hope he's going to fight Pacquiao. So Pac-man can beat the sh1t outtttt of him.

you can be mad at floyd for what he said, but pac ain't beating floyd. real boxing fans know floyd will pick him apart.

lol all you want... but this is what Mayweather is doing. he is running for the meantime because he knows he cant risk his 0 versus Pac at their primes... two years ago, when Mayweather ran like a chicken, I'd say Pac knocks his ass out... this year, it's 50-50... 1 or 2 years from now, which is my estimate for a Pac-May bout, I give May 70% chance of winning just because Pac will be A LOT slower and A LOT less powerful.

i don't know if you have any idea about boxing... but Floyd's style will allow him to be successful fro a long time, since he does not rely too much on speed and power... he is fast and strong, but he win primarily on style, defense and outboxing his opponents.

Pacman relies on power and speed. two things that diminishes as a boxer ages.
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superboy
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:03 pm Post subject:

KBH wrote:

superboy wrote:

mhan00 wrote:

Well said. I think at this point we're all getting worked up in a chicken/egg type of scenario. Like DB said, it's all of the above.

But I still think it is primarily because of the race. I know, many of you will disagree, but I'm ok with that. What the percentage is, I don't know...there's no right answer to that. What "primarily" means can be debated for another few pages. But it's not ONLY because of his race, and it's not ONLY because he's playing well. Let's at least agree to that.

KBH
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:12 pm Post subject:

I agree. His race is part of the reason why he's an underdog and I do think some people are discounting that.

C M B
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Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:25 pm Post subject:

superboy wrote:

Well said. I think at this point we're all getting worked up in a kung pao chicken/egg drop soup type of scenario.

Fixed
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