In February 2012, the reknowned and undefeated welterweight boxer, Floyd Mayweather, posted a comment about how he thinks about the former New York Knick's Jeremy Lin. He quoted: "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." Honestly, all the NBA players of every race get the same praise, and not just from a historical aspect like Bob Kurland (first person to dunk), but because they are famous, professional basketball players. Just because we do not see a lot of Asian NBA players in today's society does not make Jeremy Lin famous because of his ethnic background. In fact, the reason why Lin is well known to the fans is because he's "the first player in league history to have at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his four career starts" than any player since 1976. He lead the last five games with the Knicks as a point guard to victory before being traded off to the Houston Rockets. As a person with an Asian ethnic background, I do not believe nor even think about Jeremy Lin as a famous NBA player because he's Asian; I define and look up to every NBA player of all races because of their talent and abilities in basketball. Mayweather may have wanted the attention to spark a controversial issue regarding people of different races in the NBA, but as a result, an athlete is defined by his ability and reputation on the playing field/court.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/7572690/floyd-mayweather-says-new-york-knicks-jeremy-lin-spotlight-race-not-play
- Anthony Hoang
KIN 332I T/TH 9:30-10:55AM
3 comments:
The only reason I think Mayweather said those things about Jeremy Lin were because of the issue between Manny Pacquiao and him. He always backs down from the fight some way, either money issue or drug use accusations. Jeremy Lin is a great basketball player and what makes him extraordinary is when he dominates the NBA’s top point guards and win games. The most important thing is basketball is winning; the second most is about the statistics you get. Since Jeremy Lin is an Asian basketball player, it does make him more noticeable I agree with that, but he also has that talent to back it up.
-Alexander Hum (007783618)
Kin 332I T/TH 12:30-1:45
I somewhat agree to the comment Floyd Mayweather said about Jeremy Lin in the since that he was being recognized because he was Asian. I do not agree that his ability and skills were being overstated because he was Asian. The fact that Asians in the NBA is basically non-existant, is the biggest reason why people started to notice Jeremy Lin. It's important that all fans can find a player they relate to. I think the fan base increased for the NBA because it captured a segment of people that weren't interested. It also created a role model for a lot of young Asian fans because Jeremy Lin is extremely talented and portrayed the dream that anyone can accomplish anything.
Posted By: Nicole Floyd
KIN3321 T/TH 12:30-1:45
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