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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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WHAT YOU SAY
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Superman...
your views are truly perceptive. I can tell you play ball like Allan Houston. Dont you hate that asian guy with the glasses and bandana.
aight well keep taking those 12-ft fallaways, you need to drive to the hoop more sometimes though./
TrueLies
Saturday, June 15, 2002 at 13:41:50 (PDT)
Soccer is not an American sport, but I suggest we AA should follow the ongoing World Cup. The topic of this forum has been repudiated by performance of the Korean & Japanese soccer teams in World Cup. Korea beat Portugal who ranks the 5th among the world's best teams. Also, the Japanese beat Russian and Tunisian as well. Both teams are likely to make to the final 8 or even final 4.
FOP
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 16:26:53 (PDT)
Why do all Asians ALWAYS start talking about Pacific Islanders whenever there is a discussion about Asians and their genetics or physical prowess?????
Come on people!!!! They're Pacific Islanders, not Asians! This topic and many others previous to this one is talking about Asians, not Pacific Islanders. There is a clear and distinctive difference. Since when do those big and brown PIs with curly hair and round eyes get categorized with small, yellow, slant eyed Asians?
The only time this occurs is with census numbers, and even that's inaccurate. PIs are in a category of their own. They're not part of the Asian race. Also, to the person who mentioned The Rock being Samoan, he's only half Samoan(his mom), his dad is Black. That's why his real name is Duane Johnson.
Let's start making a clear and deserved distinction between the two groups.
Chitown Depressant
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 16:20:26 (PDT)
I disagree about the claim that Asians aren't genetically gifted to challenge black and white athletes in power sports.
It is not that they are weaker and less able, it is because Asian people tend to focus more on economy and other things in life like raising a family of ten in a third world. For instance living in a first world gives you more time to excel in hobbeys and things, giving you the chance to develop those skills. In world wide standards, Asians do not have the same drive to succeed in sports. It is just part time to them than a full time
kind of thing. And another thing, the reasons why Samoans/Asian Hawaiians grow big is that because that are living in a first world environment. It is also a well-known fact that Northern-Chinese tend to be taller that Southern-Chinese.
For example, all the Asian basketball
players in the U.S. like Wang Zhizhi and not to mention Mengke Bateer of the Denver Nuggets, who quite frankly overpowers anybody in his path including those around his weight of 300 pounds in the NBA. Other players just bump into him and they start bouncing back on the other end like a rag doll. Yao Ming, who is also from the Northern side, has the same strive to succeed in sports as those men who stood before him. With the popularity of the Chinese Basketball, which only exists for 5 years, expect more Chinese superstars to enter the world reknowned league, the NBA. Look for two more Asian basketball stars to play in the NBA because other than Yao, there are rumors of another talented young Asian star entering the NBA season of 2002 and or '03. This shows how far Asian basketball has come, producing Yao Ming who shot 70% from the field, which include threes last season and over 80% of his free throws, which is rare by the way for a man of his height in the NBA. There are also instances when he shot perfectly from the field: 21 of 21 and above. With the right NBA coach like Rudy Tomjanovich, expect Yao to get stronger, better, and just better every year, leading the Rockets to an NBA championship. And that's a guarantee. Not to mention that no one in the NBA right now except maybe Shawn Bradley of the Dallas Mavericks is tall enought to block his shots. "Yes, not even Shaq," some experts say. Yao gets that drive to succeed from the Asian fans; deep down he feels that he can not afford to let his people down and embarrase them, which only makes him a better player as he progresses. If you followed Yao, you'd see the same look MJ,Charles, and Pippen had when they were at their best, urging and eager to grow more as a player than a skilled perimeter shooter. By the way, Yao likes to dunk. I mean a lot with authority. Maybe more than Shaq, but he has something Shaq does not and most Centers do not; an outside game, which can really be a plus for him, considering no one is tall enough to block them if he is taught properly NBA style. And with a coach Houston has, the team most likely to acquire Yao, he will be hard to guard. Expect Rookie of the year next year. His shots, once released are almost a guarantee. And did I mention that he is an excellent passer? He is.
Ray
Friday, June 14, 2002 at 07:34:01 (PDT)
Hmm. In my experience East Asians are not at all bad in sports, and Chinese, guys anyway, grow to the heights suggested by the Qin soldiers and more.
The Asians I know are clustered about 5'8" - 6'. Then there are many taller, I mean many, who are basketball player height, and also many who are shorter (~5'4"-5'7")
I am 5'9", slightly on the short end compared to my Asian peers.
Superman
Thursday, June 13, 2002 at 19:00:26 (PDT)
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