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GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
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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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
I don't know how I got to this webpage, but since I'm here I'm going to leave my thoughts on this matter.
In Hawaii, when we call some one Pinoy, it generally means the person is Filipino. Correct me, if I'm mistaken. I don't know very many sole-pinoy.
All people should be proud of who they are. Hopefully their ancestors are proud of them.
I'm Hawaiian, Chinese, with a little bit of Irish and a little bit of Cherokee. I have the build of a polynesian, I'm 6'2" tall and I push the 300lb mark whenever I get on the scale recently. I can bench 500+, but I haven't maxed out lately. I only squat three plates 5x10 when I workout, because I injured my knee playing sports a few years ago. The first time I dunked a basketball I was a 5'9" freshman in highschool. At my playing weight, 235lbs, I clocked sub 4.6 forties. I also scored a 1350 on my SAT, and a 27 on my ACT.
No one can deny that genes play a role in our physical make up. But I believe society plays a greater role in the way people aspire to acheive things in their lives. Economic conditions, cultural values, home life, etc.
If you have never been to asia, then you would never know that there are big people as well as tall people there. Just because we don't see them in our athletic arenas, doesn't mean they don't exist.
To some of them playing sports is a luxury they can't afford to take. They have families to think of, and some cultural beliefs tie them to provide for immediate family and parents. It's hard to explain, to people who don't really know about other cultures.
As far as Somoans and other polynesian groups, we are like any other race with small&big and short&tall people.
Somoans and Tongans have a history with Germans, I've never heard of Chinese having a history with them in the same sense. Anyway, it is not uncommon in Somoa and Tonga to find that many families have recent anscestors of German descent. In Hawaii, we have a lot of ethnicities, and it's not uncommon to find a lot of Hawaiian families have recent Chinese anscestors.
Depending on who you speak to about it, the influx of ethnicities is one tool used to genocide the Hawaiian culture. Like the Native Americans, our ancestors were too trusting of haole missionaries, explorers, and businessmen. I feel sad for my people, but as it is I'm proud of my anscestors and I hope they are proud of me.
Sociology...
To answer the question about sports' relationship to social change and economic conditions producing a generation of Asian superstars, I just have this to say. In asian countries they are superstars. Just because they don't play in america doesn't mean they are not superstars. One societal trait that betrays asians in atheletic events is that they are to polite. Sure, as they are exposed to playing more with westerners, they might eventually develop the ruthlessness westerners play with. One example is Wang Zhizhi. He is very talented, but he is too polite. Hopefully when Yao Ming plays, he will play with the same mentality as the Great Wall. If he has the attitude of "Don't bring it in Weak" he'll be fine. He's got to realize that he's a post player first, and that means banging with the other big men.
Anyway, I think as China's relations get better with the US then we might see future Chinese athletes in america. Same for Japan, their superstars have a feeling of national pride to deal with. If they come here to play for more money, then it's almost like they are turning their back to their country's major league program.
I'm going to end here. It's funny, I don't know how I got to this webpage, and I spent all this time writing this.
I hope I didn't offend anyone.
One more line of thought. Somoans are not asians, they are polynesians. I guess on some forms polynesians are listed as Pacific Islanders. Hawaiians, Somoans, Tongans, Tahitians, Maori, Chamorros (native people of guam are not filipino), and there are more of us, are all polynesians. How many polynesians do you see in the Olympics? I'm hard pressed to name any outside of the ones that represent their polynesian nations.
I have to run. If I find this place again, I'll write some more.
Onipaa Hawaii.
A hui hou.
Walau me au...Kalani
Wednesday, May 08, 2002 at 03:17:07 (PDT)
Fenotype in this case weights more than genotipe as I see it. Anywas, It does not matter size when technique is there. And sure, there is Asian missrepresentation in heavy sports, but that's more a fact of cultural differences (And fenoptype) than true gene expression.
Jhilson Ortiz
Sunday, May 05, 2002 at 13:39:10 (PDT)
AC Dropout,
You mentined 2 Chinese b-ball players who are 7'1" and 7'5" (Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming). There is another Chinese basketball player in the NBA right now. He is Menk Bateer; he's 6'11".
B. Lee
Thursday, May 02, 2002 at 18:41:41 (PDT)
Say it Like it is,
I think your not entirely wrong. But whites are really the shortest people on Earth. They just hide their short people and make them pursue careers as horse jockeys. I was at the horse track the other day, and I have never seen so many short white males. 4'11" was the tallest guy.
I will admit I seen some short asian guys. But they are like 5'4" or 5'5". I've never seen a group of asian adult males at 4'8" - 4'11". I just hate to break the news to you, but white people are the shortest. The proof is in all the horse racing tracks in all world. There must be at least a few hundred thousand white people that are under 5'0". You might find a few asian adult males under 5'5", but I've never seen one under 5'0". Whites defintiely are shortest.
As for tall asian you see those 2 Chinese b-ball players the NBA are trying to recruit 7'1" and 7'5". I just found out that China has a professional basketball team ciruit and it full of 7 footers. It only because of the lifting of trade restriction that the 2 are allowed over here.
Even the tallest person in the NBA is not from the USA. I hate to break the news to you, but whites in America are really the shortest.
AC Dropout
Thursday, May 02, 2002 at 09:43:37 (PDT)
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