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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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if you look at pictures of the rocks mother, she looks like what we malays would say a typical 'orang kampung' basically the people from the villages in south east asia.
Malaysian Sensation
Tuesday, June 18, 2002 at 02:51:47 (PDT)
Malay Pride,
First of all, I'm very happy for you that you've been gifted with good size- which is almost rare with most Malays, considering almost every Filipino guy I've run into is like 5'3". There were a lot of Malaysian international students at my college, and they were very diminutive also- practically no physical difference between them and Filipinos. The only difference being that Malaysians are all Muslim and have Muslim names and Filipinos are all Catholic and have Spanish names.
I'll agree with you that Malays are Asian, and unlike mainland Asians they are brown and have round eyes[along with other differences(some subtle, others more prominent)]. Just like there are differences between different European Subgroups. However, being that you guys are Asian dictates that more than likely you guys are typically very diminutive and pettite. As opposed to PI's who are typically very large.
I was just making a point that they are two DIFFERENT people- Asians and PI's.
There's never any association between Asians and PI's until these discussions of "Asian physical inferiority-arises". That's when Asians start declaring left and right,"Oh yeah, how bout those Samoans and other PI's, look how big they are, and look how athletic they are." It's almost laughable.
As far as that kid saying that PI's are bigger cause they grow up in first world environments; that's the most absurd statement I've heard. Believe me, the standard of living in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan are far superior to those of Samoa, Tonga, and Fiji. Yet Japanese, Koreans, and Taiwanese are still relatively small compared to Non-Asians. The differences have much more to do with thousands of years of evolution than current living standards.
I never said the Rock wasn't Polynesian. I know he is. I was just stating that he's only half. His dad is Black. And personally, I think he looks just as Black as he does Samoan, if not more.
If you guys think that Asians and PI's are so close and tight, close enough to be considered kin, why don't you go up to a Samoan next time you see one and tell him that he and his people are the same thing as Asians. He'll probably laugh.
Do you think if you were ever getting jumped by a group of Blacks or Whites that a group of passing Samoans would say,"Man we gotta help them out, they're one of us." Yeah, right!
They'd probably say,"Look at those little Chinks getting their asses beat," and laugh while they're saying it.
Chitown Depressant
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 19:50:51 (PDT)
lemme clear up some stuff for all you non-samoans out there and/or non-polynesians.....
pasifik islanders are different from asians. yes we are. as you might not know there is a great number of people who make up the face of polynesia. actually, samoans, new zealanders and fijians trace their ancestry before the canoes, to the african continent and it is assured that we picked up many people on the way.....
they don't teach that in eurocentric school books.
chop socky quoted 'samoans are people of color too, the kkk will just as likely run after my dad than they would on me' implying that he recognises himself more as a samoan.
now, i ask you, how does this imply that he recognises himself MORE as samoan? compared to his father he IS more samoan since his dad is black. the quote actually implies that if the klan saw him, they wouldn't think twice about him being a black man. they don't see all that half this/half that stuff.
yes. many hawaiians are part asian because of recent events of the past 100 years or so.... but before that what do you think the ancient hawaiians looked like?
samoan son
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 17:59:34 (PDT)
Whites are the shortest...Tom Cruise...thats all I have to say
the thrillster
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 15:33:59 (PDT)
I'm 100% vietnamese.
I'm 5 ft 11 180 lbs. 5% bf.
I have a double lid. My eyes aren't slanted. I'm also a male dancer.
My mom is 5 ft 1 @ 100 lbs. Dad is 5 ft 2 @ 125 lbs.
If I can do this, asians can do anything physical.
It's all about Diet and the Environment you're in. Genetic is 30%
Monday, June 17, 2002 at 13:27:03 (PDT)
Chitown Depressant
firstly the rock being samoan means he is polynesian. Polynesian are related to the malay people, the ones with frizzy curly hair are negroid people that are micronesian. Secondly, not all asians are 'small, yellow, slant eyed Asians', i am a malay i have brown skin round eyes and im 6'4, and yes i am asian not pacific islander but ASIAN.
Go Korea and Japan at the World Cup.
Malay Pride
Sunday, June 16, 2002 at 21:33:38 (PDT)
yea the Rock is half samoan half black but he looks samoan and follows more his samoan side than black, when u read his book, he differeniates between his father and himself when he says 'samoans are people of color too, the kkk will just as likely run after my dad than they would on me' implying that he recognises himself more as a samoan. last friday the rock participated in a samoan ceremony in hawaii doning samoan costume. It is true however that many P.Is are part asian esp. hawaiians.
chop socky
Sunday, June 16, 2002 at 15:57:16 (PDT)
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