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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
ASIAN ATHLETES LIMITED BY GENES OR NURTURE?
o debate on the prospects of Asian athletes in American sports passes without mention of Yao Ming, the Shanghai Sharks's 7-6, 265-pound center who recently led China to an 83-82 upset over the U.S. His prospects as the likely top pick of the 2002 NBA draft have been trumpeted by no lesser authorities than Michael Jordan and Bill Walton.
But the 21-year-old superstar is literally one in a billion (1.25 billion to be exact). Young Yao is the product, genetically and culturally, of a 6-10 father and 6-4 mother, both of whom played basketball for China's national teams. His case is as likely to confuse the nature-vs-nurture debate as to help resolve it. After all, his height may be merely the tip of the genetic iceberg when it comes to his promise as a world-class basketballer.
More familiar to Asian Americans are Michael Chang (5-9) who won the French Open at age 17, and Ichiro Suzuki (5-9), whose batting and base-stealing have lifted the Mariners from the basement to the heavens. Both seem endowed with standard physical equipment but have outperformed more powerful physiques. And on the women's side Kristi Yamaguchi, Michele Kwan, Seri Pak and legions of Chinese divers and gymnasts have shown that champions needn't be amazons.
But these successes haven't silenced those who argue that as a race Asians lack the genetic gifts to challenge black and white athletes in power sports. Asians are genetically smaller and weaker, they claim, and can only excel in sports calling for quickness and agility. They cite Asian underrepresentation in track and field, football, basketball, soccer, tennis, boxing and the like.
Will the future mirror the past? Are we genetically limited to excelling only in a few select sports or will changing social and economic conditions produce a generation of Asian superstars across the sports spectrum?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:42 PM)
OK, Say It Like It Is, there are many comments, but most have already been made in the height forum. Suffice it to say that you are NOT saying it like it is. Thoughts, anyone else?
T
Tuesday, April 30, 2002 at 17:53:42 (PDT)
Stop consoling yourselves! The fact is percentage wise, Asians are shorter than other races. In my college, I tower over all but 3 Asian females (out of about 35) and again, most of the Asian males - I am 5'5. When I walk down the street, again, I tower above the Asians.
I don't believe the gibberish on the 7' tall soldiers, those are all mythical legendary tales. If they were so tall then, what catastrophe changed that? Granted, there are accidents in nature whereby people grow astronomically tall due to overactivity of the pituitary gland (I saw an Asian who was obviously inflicted with this malfunction - he was about 7' tall). However, for the most part, and until second generation asians are better nourished, they will be shorter.
Also, it's not only the US nationals that are taller. Nordics, Germans, and even Africans-think Mutombo and all the tall, African supermodels
Alright, now I expect you to lash back, because you guys on this board cannot take an iota of criticism without viewing it as a personal attack. I'm out!
Say it Like it is!
Monday, April 29, 2002 at 22:12:57 (PDT)
Jmi,
How does your example disprove cultural significance of UH black and white star BB players.
I'm not familar with the Hawaii's basketball program. But most major universtiy recruit out of state for their star players. These players at the high school level usually have been training since grade school at various BB camps around the country.
The cultural significance could be
1) No recruiter are looking at the asian players in Hawaii high schools
2) Asain players do not have access to all the best BB camps on the mainland
3) The coach at UH wants blacks and whites players in all the key positions for a majority of the play
AC Dropout
Monday, April 22, 2002 at 15:36:15 (PDT)
I disagree about culture playing a large role. Here in Hawaii, the majority of basketball players on a high school level are asian, however few if any make much of an impact in our collegic scene as the star players at UH are all Caucasian and African-American
Jmi
Thursday, March 14, 2002 at 17:18:34 (PST)
We can throw Maori in too. Although they appear not to be big,they have had several giants coming from their tribe. Lawrence Makoare who played Uruk Hai Lurtz in "Lord of the rings" movie, is one. How big do you think he can be? My guess is he is probably between 6'7" and 6'9". And he is a well proportioned fellow too,so he gotta weigh more than 220 pounds. And then comes Sala Baker,who appeared as Sauron in the same movie.My guess is that he is a maori too,although i have never seen a clear shot of him. From the way Sauron towered above everyone in the beginning,this guy gotta be in the 7 foot area.
By the way, do Maori too count as Polynesians?
Slider
Wednesday, February 27, 2002 at 09:41:54 (PST)
Dru C,
I agree with your points on culture being the larger influence when it comes to sports for an individual. Because genetically speaking each socialogically defined race has enough variations that there is nothing unique from a "sports factor" (when and if the human genome project finds this part of the gene) standpoint.
If you look at the Olmpic Winter game medal count, it is not hard to see it was not the Nazi breeding program that contribute to their lead. But instead the fact that more Germans plays these sports than Americans.
And the reason why USA swept the snowboarding competition is probably because we smoke more pot than the Canadians this time around. Hahahaha.
AC Dropout
Wednesday, February 20, 2002 at 12:29:26 (PST)
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