Sixers: Race, not racism, plays role in Linsation
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Sixers: Race, not racism, plays role in Linsation
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
When Boxer Floyd Mayweather wrote on his Twitter account Monday that ‘Jeremy Lin is a good player but all the hype is because he’s Asian,’ and then later followed up with a tweet saying, ‘I’m speaking my mind on behalf of other NBA players. They are programmed to be politically correct and will be penalized if they speak up,’ I thought it made sense to ask some of the 76ers what they felt about Mayweather’s comments rather than let him speak for them.
All-Star forward Andre Iguodala said that Lin’s race - he’s Taiwanese - does factor in to the attention he’s receiving. Without detracting from Lin, Iguodala said that because the league is majority African-American, if Lin were black it would not create a similar stir.
“When you see the majority doing it you say, ‘ah, he’s been doing it since he was a kid. It’s in his blood, whatever,’” Iguodala said. “You see him doing it and you say, ‘you’re serious?’ It’s kind of like seeing a black hockey player doing well. Race does play a role in it but at the same time you have to respect it, that’s how I feel. You have to respect it whether you like it or not. It’s a feel-good story.”
On Tuesday, Lin hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Toronto Raptors, becoming the first NBA player to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first five NBA starts since 1970.
Asked if he thought there was any similarity between what Mayweather wrote and when Dennis Rodman in 1987 called Larry Bird overrated ‘because he’s white,’ Iguodala laughed.
“Larry Bird was different. That’s not on the same planet. Larry Bird had game,” Iguodala said.
Leading scorer Lou Williams did not dismiss outright what Mayweather said.
“Floyd has always been outspoken and in some aspects he makes a point,” Williams said. “I don’t know if it’s his position to speak out about it. It’s a unique situation. It’s no surprise that the NBA is made up of mostly African-American athletes; that’s public knowledge. So for him to be Asian and to have the success that he’s having I’m sure it’s a new thing and it helps that he’s actually putting the numbers up.
“Floyd said it and he kind of opened it up for discussion,” Williams continued. “To us, he’s a basketball player. Any time you make a basketball team you have the opportunity to be successful. I think he’s taking full advantage of his opportunity no matter what color he is, and I think it’s a bigger story maybe because he’s Asian.”
Iguodala said the most important thing is to determine whether Lin is a flash in the pan, something we’ll all have a better understanding of by the end of the season.
“He’s only six games in the league. Game 30, game 40, that’s where you can kind of see where a guy’s at,” he said.
Lin’s success, said Iguodala, is good for everyone involved, from the fans, to the players, to the league. Since Lin made his first start for the Knicks on Feb. 4, Madison Square Garden, Inc., the parent company of the Knicks, has seen its market value jump 6%, adding another $139 million to the value of the company, according to Forbes Magazine.
According to Kenneth Wisnefski, social media expert and founder/CEO of WebiMax, a Google search for “Jeremy Lin” returns over 2,100,000 search results and over 6,700 news sources/articles.
“He’s bringing the league great attention,” Iguodala said.
Who cares? Does anybody still watch basketball? I mean, come on.— neddyflanders- Well, ratings are a tricky thing. The NBA has very strong national ratings, yes. The difference is that basketball fans tend to watch only the biggest games, whereas hockey fans stick to their home team, which means that local ratings are pretty similar for both sports. The NHL also has very strong attendance, 2/3 of NHL teams sell out regularly, vs less than half of NBA teams.
There's also the problem that the NHL has 6 more teams in Canada than the NBA (and Toronto doesn't care about the raptors). So essentially, the NHL doesn't get to count over 25% of its fanbase toward ratings, which would be like trying to judge the NBA without California. If you look at all of North America, far more people watch hockey (and soccer) than basketball.— Pelti - Far more people watch hockey and soccer than basketball? Are you nuts? Someone is obviously paying the huge NBA salaries. The money doesn't grow on trees.
- Rave may play a little bit of a factor but I think it's a very small part. I think it's more that it was unexpected for him to do so well. Him being an undrafted Ivy League guy has about as much to do with it as race does.— hillbillybirdsfan
- Iggy and Lou are idiots...if a BLACK player from Harvard was undrafted and then scored more points in his first five games then every one in the past 35 years, then I think he would still be a big deal. — RandyFloyd
- Lin's stats don't reveal color...Hey Iggy, check your own game and it'll help explain your envious comments, you're better off sitting next to Lou and letting him speak...and Mayweather has obviously been hit too many times...— wvbillz
- As if Jackie Robinson only got attention because he was a good baseball player? What is wrong with these black athletes? They sound just like the racist white baseball players when Robinson broke through. Why aren't they saying there has been a racial bias towards Asian Athletes and it is wrong. Obviously Lin can play in the NBA, it doesn't matter if he is an all-star or not. Why was he cut from 4 teams and never offered a college scholarship? — FreshLooks
- The only thing that matters is Lin is in the record books and Iggy and Lou will be forgotten soon...Iggy who... — RandyFloyd
- I think the most missed aspect of this is the fact that he's a breakthrough player in NEW YORK CITY. It's the largest media market in the country, so when its vastly underperforming team suddenly has a player come up that apparently addresses its biggest weakness, of course the hoopla is going to be overblown. In my opinion, this would have happened if Lin had been black solely because of the market the Knicks play in.
You think if Charlotte suddenly caught fire with Lin - black or asian - anyone would have cared? No.— evolutionary - No the amazing thing is that fact that Iguodala and Williams get away with these statements. If they were white and said them the media would have been all over them calling them racist. This is pathetic. And evolutionary makes more sense than anyone. It happened in New York, so no matter his race the media would be going wild.— rich729
- Blacks be trippin'. if this were a black dude in hockey, he'd by hyped, although no gives a turd about hockey.
Comment removed.- Are you trying to compare Wayne Simmond's contributions to the Flyers to what Jeremy Lin has gone through, and currently achieving for the Knicks?..Really?..It's not "Hype" if sellouts,TV ratings explosions, and record setting performance is happening...It's not being created, it's actually happening in NYC, and the country. — bearsfriend
- I am a fan of Lin. Good for him!!! Good for the NBA. Shame on peops that turn this into an ugly race thing.— The Philly Shadow
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
