Linsanity. Everyone’s got it.

 

 

Well, not really. I may have grown up in a basketball-loving country, watched it on TV with my father as a kid, watched crushes and ex-boyfriends play it… but basketball ain’t for me. I’m a football kind of girl.

So no, I am not Linsane. Although I am watching news about Jeremy Lin just like most everyone. He’s a fascinating story. And he stands out for three reasons: Asian. Christian. Harvard.

 

Of course he’s American Chinese, or to be exact, ABT: American-Born Taiwanese. That still doesn’t take away the fact that he’s American, he was born in L.A. and holds a US passport. His parents migrated to the US in the 1970s and he grew up in the bay area. So obviously, he is American more than Asian.

Why am I emphasizing this? Because there is an ongoing debate on whether Jeremy should play for the US team in the summer Olympics, and if he fails to get drafted in the American team, then he should play for China. Some Taiwanese Americans have started a debate on it in tumblr. TIME magazine also came out with an article on the whole debate and honestly, it’s a very disappointing piece and just shows how Americans (or at least the writer) look at a person’s ethnicity. I also find it amusing that after China–or at least the Chinese media–has dismissed Jeremy (primarily because his roots are from Taiwan) and said he won’t be as great as Yao Ming, they’re now open to the possibility of him playing for China in the Olympics. I don’t know much about Jeremy, his personal thoughts or life, but I do hope that he rises above all these speculations and attacks on his ethnic roots.

In the meantime, the Linsanity continues.

In Taiwan, where even President Ma Ying-jeou has spoken so proudly of Jeremy, everyone’s gone crazy and emptied shelves when licensed jerseys went on sale.

Look who’s wearing a Linsanity shirt: Wang Lee Hom, himself an American-born Taiwanese:

 

 

It certainly is a tricky road that Jeremy Lin has set himself on. Not only is everyone watching whether he can sustain his game, but many are also curious as to how he will handle the nationality issue. There is no doubt that he is American but his roots will always be Asian. And Taiwanese, fo’ sho. I just hope that does not pull him back from making more impressive hoops in the future.

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