Lin is an important public figure of this decade, yet it is awful that it has taken years for an Asian American to be a part of the NBA. In the documentary, Lin demonstrated that even as an underdog he never gave up, and he had many reasons why he should have. Lin is also perceived as a someone with many financial difficulties, but in reality he had all the resources to be successful: parent’s support, financial support, education support, and athletic support. The documentary is biased because it makes him appear as a one in a million who was able to make it pro. Linsanity is powerful in sharing and inspiring minorities, but because the movie is biased about social status, and no other minority has struggled in the league. Lin was labeled middle class, had help from his family in school work, and had …show more content…
time and place to be able to play basketball(. The movie even described his later life as a person who slept on relatives’ couch and made it appear as if he could not afford a place. He is financially stable, but made a rational decision for not buying a home that he might or might not have kept. These perceptions made the film biased along with the producers confirming that he had it the hardest, well these people did not think about other basketball players who had it much worse. Another basketball player who had to go through hoops to get into the NBA is Lebron James. He was not in a steady household: no steady income, no big/complete family, and no help from school. Not only did Lebron struggle to get to where he is, but also other players. Since James was lucky enough to be recruited after high school his only competition was to keep up his statistics and gain more game time. Meanwhile Lin was overlooked in his highschool. It was until he finished college that the Warriors gave him a look, but even he struggled to start his career. The documentary captured this moment as sad when it should have been joyful and hyped. While seeking information about minorities in the NBA I came across a list of 11 players of Asian decent.
After observing their stats, I had seen that most of them other than Lin, Yi Jianlian, Yao Ming, and Rex Walters did not play enough games to improve their numbers. Meanwhile Lin has played more than anyone one of them which is a huge step forward for Asians. On the other hand, the documentary makes it seem like he has been the only Asian player who has done good, but we cannot say that for sure. Jeremy Lin in his rookie year was able to play 29 games with the warriors meanwhile Yuta Tabuse had only played four games with the Suns during his career. Given the fact that because these other players were not played or kept in the league, they were not able to show or prove that they are good guards, forwards, or centers. If Linsanity was produced to show the improvements Lin has made in his career, then why not also make a Mingsanity. According to ESPN Yao Ming as a first year made on average 13.5 points to 25 while Lin made 2.6 and increased to 14.6. Both have made important impacts in the NBA spotlight/ stage, but why not have both Linsanity and
Mingsanity. In addition to Asian players proving not be the stereotypical norm that people believe is being an intellectual, short height, and bowl haircut wearing people. I am inspired that Lin was able to show his followers his real persona though the film, Youtube, and media interviews. Recently his interview about his hair trends has been a powerful message to anyone with stereotypical views. The media has seen his hairstyles in a bad way because many people see them as abnormal for his ethnicity, but he explains that his hair “actually made [him] feel like [himself] again,” and “more free” (Lin). He furthered the conversation to find why others find certain hairstyles so controversial. The movie demonstrates Lin’s motivation to help Asian minorities and help stop the name calling. He has been called wanting to be black for his hair and called a Chinese import for just playing national basketball. Above all the documentary was a powerful eye-opening movie that everyone should see.
Your dreams of being someone may not turn out the way you think they will. The documentary Hoop Dreams is a story about two boys from the ghetto that want to play in the NBA. Arthur ¨Man”Agee goes to Marshalls and William Gates goes to St. Joseph’s which are both situated in Illinois, where their dreams of becoming a pro basketball player vanished. Both of the boys face obstacles that are outside of themselves. Arthur´s family struggled with money, education, and pressure from others hurts him. Also, William struggled with balancing his family with basketball, the pressure from others, and education.
Walter LeFeber's book serves as a cornerstone of reference for its content as it relates to race, black business and the expansion of global capitalism since the late 20th century. With regard to race, it shows how race effected middle-class Michael Jordan at a young age and how he grew in the star he became, yet still could not es...
Some people dream of wealth, happiness, or genius, but is any of that easily attainable? An intellectual young man from the movie Good Will Hunting has an unusually high IQ that is shrouded by emotional problems. Will Hunting is arrested after yet another case of physical assault in Boston, and this time it was a police officer. When he is arrested, his genius is discovered by a college professor, Gerald Lambeau, who sees potential in Will despite his flaws. Instead of jail time, Labeau offers him a fair bargain. As long as Will attends mandatory therapy, he will be allowed to work alongside the professor. But education isn’t everything, because under Wills sarcastic wit and mathematical genius, he hides his true self. Will scares off five different therapists before he finds himself stuck with Sean Maguire, who ends up using personal and profound forms of therapy to crack Wills shell. Sean delivers this speech to help Will realize his ignorance of his insecurities and other people by using ethos, logos, and pathos appeals; Sean addresses that true knowledge and perspective can only
Contrast. Tone. Metaphors. These literary elements are all used in Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s in relation to a larger theme in the novel – confidence. In the book, a man named McMurphy is put into a mental ward run by Nurse Ratched, who has complete power and control over the men. They all fear her and submit to her due to fear, suppressing their confidence and manhood. When McMurphy came, he was like a spark that ignites a roaring fire in the men; they gain back the confidence that they lost and become free. In one passage, McMurphy takes the men on a fishing trip where he helps them stray away from the Nurse’s power and learn to believe in themselves. Throughout the passage, the use of contrast, positive tone, and metaphors of
Hosseini’s purpose of writing the Kite Runner was to teach the readers the different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The main character, Amir, is a Pashtun and Pashtuns are Sunni Muslims, then there are Hazara’s that the Pashtuns do not get along with. Hazara’s are not welcomed by the Pashtuns because they are different social classes.
There is an astonishing lack of positive Anglo-American role models in the NBA. An overwhelming majority of celebrity basketball players are African-Americans. Such names as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnston, Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Scotty Pippin, and Charles Barkley evoke visions of success and greatness in the minds of many young people, but can Anglo-American youngsters really be expected to identify with these African-American cultural icons? Similarly, almost all contemporary movies about basketball center around African-American rather than Anglo-American characters. Shockingly, many basketball themed movies which feature Anglo-Americans portray them in a negative light, perpetuating a derogatory stereotype of Anglo-American basketball players, and further reducing the likelihood of their success. Some films even have titles which mock the challenges faced by Anglo-Americans in the basketball industry; a popular film from the early nineteen nineties was titled White Men Can't Jump.
Wiggins, David Kenneth, and Patrick B. Miller. 2003. The unlevel playing field: a documentary history of the African American experience in sport. Urbana: University of Illinois Press
...ney: Controlling Black Bodies in the NBA." The Journal of Sport and Social Issues. Volume 30. Number 2. May 2006. (pp. 158-179)
The Civil Rights Era impacted the realm of sports in a great and powerful way. Throughout the mid 1900s, many minority athletes emerged through all odds and began to integrate themselves in the white dominated athletic business. These athletes endured constant hardships in order to achieve their goals and dreams; facing much racism, segregation, and violence. Minorities across the country began to look up to these sportsmen and realized that anybody could attain greatness despite the social troubles of the time. Stories depicting the struggles of minority athletes soon arose and grew popular among different cultures. These true accounts passed from generation to generation, each admiring the courage and bravery of athletes and how important they became in obtaining an equal society. Producers and directors soon found a way to revolutionize the film industry by retelling the racial discrimination that minority athletes faced. Remember the Titans, The Perfect Game, 42, and The Express are all examples of how minority athletes overcame racial adversities in order to obtain the championship. These Hollywood movies contain many inaccuracies that draw away from the true impact minority athletes had during the Civil Right Era. Although these films do depict the racial components of the time, they do not depict the accurate occurrences of the stories they try to recreate.
“African Americans have just as amount of chance of becoming a professional athlete as he or she winning the lottery”. This so called goal of theirs is unrealistic and is highly impossible. There are so many sports athletes but majority of them are of a different c...
Like Robinson, these men paved the way for today’s players and are the reason that the best athletes in the world now play in the NBA.” (Dave Howell, NBA.com, Six Who Paved The Way, Page 1). African-Americans in basketball, more specifically the first 5 players, began to make people realize that African Americans were not foreign creatures, they were actual people. People also began to realize that African Americans make equally as significant contributions to the society and community as anyone else
“We are more visible, but not more valuable”. This famous quote was said by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, one of the most famous black basketball players, symbolized what many black athletes were pursuing when they first got into sports. In today’s world not only are black athletes a part of our sports venue, they are dominating the landscape of some sports such as the NBA which consists of a whopping 80% black athletes. Black athletes continue to revitalize sports in America as some athletes became the face of their sports such as Muhammad Ali in boxing, Jackie Robinson in baseball and Michael Jordan in basketball. Sports came as a form of entertainment for many Americans, but for black athletes it came as a pathway to express who they were and what they believed in. The more they became involved in sports, the more media they were able to attract which enabled them to talk about topics other than sports such as racism, their religions and equality through the civil rights movement. These views and statements made in their interviews and press conferences were the ones that became publicized and more popular amongst the typical white men in America and it played a huge role in changing the way blacks were viewed in American society.
Dreams, and goals change constantly. By new ideas presented, the people around, the environment... In the novel Lord of the Flies, author William Golding utilized an allegorical way to describe how humans act to achieve well-being. At the beginning of the story, Ralph is the leader of the island. He is happy when he sees democracy work on the island. His dream is to maintain the island in an orderly fashion until they get rescued. But his values has changed immensely throughout the duration of the story.
Fighting discrimination and prejudice has been a tremendous struggle for individuals within the black community. This is especially true of athletes who were attempting to break through color barriers. It is difficult to comprehend the trials and tribulations that these individuals have had to endure in trying to just be recognized as equals within the sporting world. Through this week’s module I have learned a great deal about how difficult it was for athletes to be given equal treatment throughout the 20th century. I have heard about people like Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson for as long as I can remember but there are a number of athletes that were discussed in the video who I had previously never heard of. The video really broadened my
Basketball has had a large impact in the society. In the NBA, the teams bring out nationalism within their city. Various cities have a National basketball team representing them in the NBA. This in turn brings out a healthy competition that paves the way to socialization, support, and unity among individuals. NBA players can have a positive impact on individuals as well as an entire nation. ESPN deemed Jeremy Lin, an NBA player, to have the ability to expand basketball largely in China.