When I did a online search of Jeremy Lin this morning, many of the headlines that popped up were pronouncing an end to the so-called "Linsanity" - that would be the media and cultural frenzy set off by the NY Knicks point guard and his outstanding performance.
Lin is the rookie basketball player who allegedly came out of nowhere to help ramp up the Knicks' season. But beyond the team's future, pundits and fans alike have seized on his accomplishments to ask questions about diversity in sports, how Asians and Asian-Americans are represented (or not) in popular culture and more.
Lin may not keep racking up points, but I doubt the media interest in him is going away - another recent headline promised to reveal "What Jeremy Lin can teach us about dating."
Yeesh. Whether you're into sports or not, you've likely caught wind of this story. The folks over at the Illinois Humanities Council certainly have. They've commissioned a number of people - from the arts, media and academia - to write out their thoughts on the cultural swirl around Lin. I'm going to feature some of their posts in this here blog over the next few days.
Of course you're invited to join the conversation as well. You can weigh in below with your reaction. And why not meet up with the IHC crew at Jane Addams Hull-House Museum next Monday evening for the conversation Linsanity: What's Beyond the Hype?
The "Feel-Good" Story in the Racial Frame: Jeremy Lin and the Same Politics of Race, by David Stovall.
Before any type of deep analysis on the recent rise of Jeremy Lin in the National Basketball Association (NBA), its important to state the facts: In 2006 Jeremy Lin was Northern Californias Player of the Year in Basketball at Palo Alto High. His hometown university of Stanford wouldnt offer him a four-year scholarship and instead offered him the opportunity to play basketball as a walk-on. Coach Dawkins former backcourt running mate at Duke (Tommy Amaker) decided to take a chance on Lin at Harvard.
In 2010 he graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics. Fast-forward six years and you have all the makings for a made-for-TV movie. Lin goes undrafted in the first two rounds of the 2010 draft despite numerous inquiries on his ability to play the point-guard position by NBA scouts, his All-Ivy selection and him being in the top three in assists in the country. His hometown team (the Golden State Warriors) takes him as an undrafted free agent, and he makes the roster. He sees limited playing time as a rookie, gets cut, gets picked up by Houston, gets cut, goes to the NBA developmental league, gets picked up by the Knicks on a 10-day, sleeps on his brother's couch for a couple of days, surfs to another teammate's house for a spot on the couch, and leads the Knicks on a 8-0 winning streak in the process. I know whod a thunk it? All of this is great for the ESPN documentary, but its also absent many of the racial realities of the day. Despite the fallacy of a post-racial society, we still try to obfuscate the realities of race. Without question, Lin is a great talent who deserves to be on the court. Simultaneously our oddity addiction in the U.S. could easily make Lin a caricature of himself. With all of the new monikers that roll off the tongue (Linsanity, Linpossible, etc.), we have to grapple with the fact that Lins individual journey takes place in a social, political and economic context.
Part of that context is the fact that the American mainstream media has an extremely limited number of themes in its repetoire: tragedy/disaster, triumph, scandal or oddity. Commentary with any type of critical analysis is relegated to the fringes as we become engulfed by Lins feel-good story of triumph. Never to discount his struggles, but Lin would have been all right without the NBA. An econ degree from Harvard goes a long way.
Excerpt from:
Jeremy Lin: Anatomy of a Sports Star and Cultural Sensation
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
