Asians in American Sports | Asian American Poll

ASIANS IN AMERICAN SPORTS
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:39:09 AM to reflect the 100 most recent valid responses.)

Which male athlete has done the most to promote the image of Asian American men?
Tennis Player Michael Chang | 36%
Pitcher Chanho Park | 23%
Golfer Tiger Woods | 8%
Linebacker Dat Nguyen | 13%
Rightfielder Ichiro Suzuki | 14%
Left Wing Paul Kariya | 6%

Which female athlete has done the most to promote the image of Asian American women?
Figure Skater Kristi Yamaguchi | 19%
Pool Player Jeanette Lee | 1%
Figure Skater Michele Kwan | 58%
Golfer Se-ri Pak | 22%

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WHAT YOU SAY

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Kamakaze,

Although it is well-acknowledged that the Japan League is the most competitive baseball league in Asia, you have made a number of errors in your post.

Error #1: The reason why Chan-Ho Park, Byung-Hyun Kim and Hee-Sop Choi (and all other players from Korea) have had to go through the minor leagues is that they were recruited by major league teams at a very young age (almost all in their teens) and without having had any professional experience. They go through the same path as most American high school graduates who get drafted by major league teams. All Japanese players in the Majors have had over 8 years (some much more than 8 yrs) of professional experience in the Japan League before coming to play in the Major Leagues. That is why the majority of them do not have to polish their skills in the minors. I said majority because there have been a number of "busts" such as St. Louis OF So Taguchi (one of the top OF in JL) and the Mets pitcher Komiyama who have been demoted to the minors. So far, all Korean players recruited to the majors have been young players who have never played pro baseball.

Error #2: Just because a player plays in the Japan League does not mean they are Japanese. Your argument comparing baseball to soccer is not correct (like apples to oranges). Just as the Majors bring players from all around the world, so does the Japan League. Some of the top performers are not Japanese.

Current HomeRun King: Tuffy Rhodes (USA) Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes

Current Pacific League ERA leader: Dae-Sung Koo (Korea) Kobe Orix Blue Wave
All-time HomeRun King: Sadaharu Oh (Chinese father - treated as CHinese)

All-time Hits Leader (aka the original Ichiro): Isao Harimoto (Korean)

All-time Greatest Pitcher (aka the god of pitching): Masaichi Kaneda (Korean)

If you look at the current Japan League all-star roster, it is littered with foreign players. One of the top pitchers in Japan is Hsu Ming-Chieh (Taiwan) of the Seibu Lions. Cho Sung-Min (Korea) of the Yomiuri Giants is widely acknowledged by sportswriters as the most talented and capable of being the dominant pitcher in Japan if not for the injury bug.

If you want to compare the national teams of Japan, Korea and Taiwan, please note that Korea beat Japan for 3rd place in the 2000 Olympics. The Japanese national team had Japan League pros on the team such as all-star slugger Norihiro Nakamura of the Kintetsu Buffaloes. Taiwan's team is also right up there in Asia.

Also, foreign players in Japan cannot qualify to play in the majors very easily due to free-agency requirements and contract rights issues (especially the Taiwanese and Korean players). This is why only Japanese players from the Japan League go to the Majors (most after fulfilling the mandatory 8 yrs of service before qualifying for free-agency).

Error #3: I follow Japan League baseball religiously and there is no way 10 Japanese position players and 20 Japanese pitchers from Japan can come and START in the Majors right now. CF Hideki Matsui has the top batting avg. in Japan, but his defense is horrible (even by Japan League standards) and the media over there says he still needs to learn how to use a glove. His OF skills are below average in Japan so he might have to DH in the majors. Norihiro Nakamura is another strong batter with below-average defensive skills. If you watch Japan League baseball, you will notice a huge drop in defensive ability vs. the Majors...especially in the OF.

Ichiro was by far the best player in JL. Shinjo has been able to start due to his defensive abilities (7 time Gold Glove in JL for Chiba Lotte Marines), but his batting is very below average. There are good batters and there are good defensive players, but very few good at both. And I don't mean great at both...just good enough to be considered a starting MLB candidate.

Kazuhisa Ishii had been the DOMINANT pitcher in JL for the last 6 yrs and he is a fairly good pitcher in the ML. I didn't say great.

It is true that Japan produced a number of quality players and in general Japan has the strongest and longest baseball history in Asia. It is also notable that all ball sports such as baseball and soccer were banned in Korea by the Japanese during it's colonial rule over Korea.

Additionally, most Major League teams Asian scouts are most heavily focused on bringing over players who can contribute right away which is what the JL represents. In terms of recruiting high school grads from Asia that will go through the minor league route, Korea actually has slightly more than Japan.
This was a long post, but I wanted to clarify the incorrect facts stated on Kamakaze's post. It appears you do not have a very credible handle on Japanese baseball and the JL. And in your case, your facts are incorrect.

If anybody else has any questions regarding the JL, please let me know and I will be happy to inform.
LA zainichi Monday, August 05, 2002 at 11:37:57 (PDT)

Kamakaze/Developement/Superior Industry,

To correct your assertion, Hee Seop Choi is NOT the only Korean position player representing Korea. There is a Korean catcher in the Cubs organization also; not to mention Shin Soo Choo who's playing in the Mariner's farm system right now and leads the Mariner's A team in batting average, RBI's, and stolen bases. Expect Choo to be called up to the Major leagues in a couple of years. His skills and style of play is similar to Ichiro's, except for the fact that he'll probably never have the batting average that Ichiro has.
There are also a good dozen other Korean players in farm systems across the country, and many more scouted in Korea as we speak. American scouts even talk about how they believe Korea will become a bigger supplier of talent than Japan due to Koreans' bigger size in comparison to the Japanese.
The trickle of Koreans players, pitchers and position players alike, has only begun. Expect a steady stream beginning in the next couple years.

Finally, why do all you idiots on this board refer to the different Asian nationalities as races?? Hello! We're all members of the Asian race, people. We're just different nationalities. And as "Divided We Fall" said, regardless of nationality, let's all cheer for Asian athletes, whether they be Korean, Chinese, or Japanese. It'll only benefit ALL Asians.

BTW, good luck to Yao Ming and Ichiro rocks!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chitown Depressant Monday, August 05, 2002 at 02:15:52 (PDT)

I don't get Mr. Superiority (Kamakaze). He seems to come off with that Japanese-typical "Divine" wind, nation, and emperor crap. It seems to me that he is subtlely projecting Japanese superiority at the expense of other Asian ball players (namely Choi and Chen). It doesn't help that he refers to himself with shit like "Superior Industry", either.
There's no denying that China was the focus throughout most of East Asian history so it's sorta understandable where the great pride and the arrogance come from. But I do not get how or why the Japanese get off with themselves. The cultural basis of their society is wholely of Chinese origin by way of undeniable Korean influences. Like Korea, Japan was not much of anything politically or in military might thoughtout most of it's history. The slight blip of 30 odd years of imperialistic bullying in the early 20th does not amount to much of anything in the overall scheme of things...the cultural/political influences of China by way of Korea, was for over millenia. There is no denying this; the historical record is overwhelming. Japanese, with their institutionalized lying and denying, need to realize true facts and start thinking rationally for a change.
Does it matter where Choi or Chen are developing. The point of recent discussion was about natural athleticism, which Choi and Chen have loads of...just look how young they are compared to "old man" Itchiro.
Look, Japanese baseball is conducive to those Ichiro style, slapping base hit, ground ball type of hitting. That is Japanese brand of baseball...the slap, basic, fundamentals type of hitting that Ichiro has learned so well and obviously excels at, hence the reason he's in MLB. I admit they play that brand very well, but there is little "pop" or "fun" in their game. It sounds like the society, LOL...quiet and ordinary? No one doubts that Japan has the most advanced and modern athletic facilities in the World. And of course, Japanese baseball has far more history and was far earlier established and developed than Korean baseball (not sure about Taiwan baseball) but earlier establishment/development is completely unrelated to natural athletic ability where Korea clearly leads Japan in per-capita, pound for pound production. I'll leave this at that. You can read earlier posts for it's basis.
You say there's 10 position players or 20 pitchers that can play and/or start in the majors? I'll agree, I think that's a realistic possiblity but not only for Japanese league players but for Korean players as well and Taiwan players to a lesser extent. Anyways, I recall there were 10 or 20 ethnic Koreans that won your country Olympic medals and other international honors. What's that all about? Further, aren't 2 of the most famous players in Japanese baseball history, Koreans?
Peace
AAX Sunday, August 04, 2002 at 22:03:10 (PDT)

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