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Ichiro is a Yankee – Forget Jeremy?

July 25, 2012 By 1 Comment

Ichiro Yankees

In other news involving Asians in New York sports, ten-time all-star Ichiro Suzuki has been traded to the New York Yankees after 11 seasons with the Seattle Mariners.

He’s still around?

Much to  people’s surprises, yes he is, and now he will be playing on the biggest stage in the world. People argue that at 38 years old, he is past his prime, but when you look at the potent lineup that Yankees have, all they need is a situational role player, and that is more than what Ichiro can bring. He’s trying to make his last push at winning a World Series ring and being a Yankee gives him an opportunity to do so.

Of course, you might be wondering, could he “replace” Jeremy Lin as the next Asian sensation to hit the big apple? There’s no doubt Ichiro will re-energize Asian baseball fans since the departure of beloved Hideki Matsui (they actually currently have Japenese-born pitcher Hiroki Kuroda right now, but he’s not as obvious a name as Ichiro or Matsui) . When people here the name “Ichiro” in a New York Yankees uniform,  it’s hard not to associate him with an abundance of business opportunities and a rebirth in NYC’s Asian faith in New York sports.

As for replacing Lin, we need to wait a couple months to see how effective truly can be with the Yankees. If he can contribute to New York winning a 28th title this year, it might be a little easier to forget about Jeremy.

– Thomas Tsang

Filed Under: Culture, Demographics, Guest Blogger, Jeremy Lin, New York, Thomas Tsang

Blaming the Asian, Blaming Jeremy Lin

July 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Just last week it was the news heard around the world- Jeremy Lin is no longer a New York Knick. Many people don’t know the whole story, or simply just don’t seem to care why he left the mecca of professional basketball with one of the largest Asian-American populations in the world. There are plenty of articles out there detailing his departure from New York.  Here is an accurate one.

The Knicks have repeatedly stated they let Lin go for financial reasons, but in this article here, it makes a compelling point that Knicks owner James Dolan felt betrayed that the Jeremy would go out and explore other options like he did. It befuddles me that a billionaire could feel blindsided by a young up-and-coming basketball player trying to seek the best deal to provide for him and his family. Let’s face it-it wasn’t about the money; Dolan could pay for anything (see Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler’s contracts). It was all personal.

The team really never had Lin’s back during this process. Carmelo called Lin’s contract ridiculous and J.R. Smith stated he was skeptical. It’s clear the whole team felt like pointing the finger and blaming the Asian, blaming Jeremy.

Of course they would. Dolan’s not going to point the finger at himself. And if anyone has watched Jeremy play with Carmelo, the two never really meshed, so of course Carmelo would blame Lin for his so called egregious contract. And of course, Lin is an Asian Harvard grad. Nobody from the Knicks front office thought this humble, classy, good-willed Asian would  speak up and actively pursue a better contract or sought a team that would pay him more. Well they were dead wrong. Nobody from the Knicks front office thought this Asian was so powerful.

How are you going to fault someone that wants to have the best opportunity for himself and provide for family?

– Thomas Tsang

Filed Under: Demographics, Guest Blogger, Jeremy Lin, New York, Texas, Thomas Tsang

Houston, We Have Linsanity

July 23, 2012 By 2 Comments

As Richard mentioned when the news became official, Jeremy Lin is a Houston Rocket.

The Rockets have been trying to figure how to get Lin back since his incredible starting run with the Knicks in February of this year like a boyfriend who regrets breaking up with his girl so much after seeing her with another lover that he presents her with a $25 million engagement ring seven months later. Clearly it worked.

Lin is an incredible player with the potential to be an all-time great. His excellence start legitimately puts him in the same breath for comparisons with the likes of Michael Jordan. And Lin is nearly certain to dazzle when the Rockets host the 2013 All-Star Game. If, however, Lin wants a ring, the Rockets still need to find a center at the very least.

What’s more — and more from me about Lin is what what you’ll find in the links from this paragraph and the next — Lin is a classy guy, it’s good he got away from a team that isn’t. Many question if Lin$anity will endure in Houston, which puzzles me.

As Houston welcomes Lin, it’s critical to remember while his international marketability is similar to Yao Ming, they are very different people; Yao Ming’s story would not be as interesting as Jeremy Lin’s.

Phil, Jen and Diana, I’d be glad to take you to a game. Sadly, the game won’t include this

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: Demographics, Immigration, Jeremy Lin, Jobs/Employment Issues, Justin Gillenwater, Media, New York, Religion, Texas

The Value of Lin$anity

July 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There’s no question Lin’s move to the Rockets hurts merchandise vendors in New York, who are cutting prices up to 75%. And perhaps the dip in MSG, Inc.’s stock value has something to do with the Nielsen ratings to which Knicks games will return

Before Lin’s breakout game in early February, MSG’s 19 games averaged a 1.83 rating; the next 36 games (including the last 17 that Lin sat out) averaged a 4.07.

With that kind of ratings bump, Lin may even benefit the Houston Astros, who have a significant stake along with the Rockets in Comcast Sports Net Houston, which airs some Rockets games. If you don’t have CSN Houston you can request it here.

Some vendors claim Lin merchandise won’t be as valuable with his move to the Rockets, but I disagree. I doubt Volvo and Nike are downtrodden, and I just don’t see how his being with the Knicks instead of another team has anything to do with these prices

The signed and framed 16×20 photo goes for $499.99, unsigned and framed for $99.99. By comparison, a framed photo of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera TOGETHER with signed baseballs by each goes for $499.99.
A Jeremy Lin autographed basketball goes for $399.99. Jason Kidd’s goes for $99.99 and you don’t even get an autographed copy of the DUI he received this week after smashing his car into a telephone pole.

The vast majority of Lin’s fan base — both in US/Canada and globally — are fans of Lin either because of his ethnicity, his immense talent, or his incredible underdog story. They’ll follow Lin to whatever team he’s with and so will the media, both domestic and international. When Lin is back on the court at MSG, Jeff Yang knows who he’ll root for.
It will be a few weeks before preorder now.

Filed Under: Economy, Jeremy Lin, Jobs/Employment Issues, Justin Gillenwater, Media, New York, Texas

Jeremy Lin Is Not Yao Ming — He’s More

July 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The media coverage of Jeremy Lin’s move to the Rockets bothers me. There’s a little too much equating of or suggesting that Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming are interchangeable.

They’re not. The domestic, local excitement for Yao Ming was strong, but it was nothing like that for Jeremy Lin, perhaps because Jeremy Lin was born and grew up here.

Yao factored prominently in Toyota’s $100 million decision to put its name on the City of Houston’s then-new arena in 2003, which has paid off tremendously. And Yao was great business for the Rockets organization and individual players

Many Rockets landed lucrative shoe contracts with Chinese companies on Yao’s coattails and Rockets’ games drew massive television ratings there.

Yao was a star in China before he received a visa to play in the NBA, a result of the union of two professional basketball players and trained in China’s junior league since his teens and in basketball school at 9. Lin was born in the US, learned basketball at the YMCA, and was overlooked for college basketball scholarships and the NBA draft. Yao is a giant who played center. Lin is below average height for the NBA and plays point guard. Yao’s education has been minimal. Lin went to Harvard. There’d be no comparing them if Lin wasn’t Asian [American].

I thought this Associated Press article would come close to getting things right. I had great hopes with its precise language early in the article, but an unnecessary “but” ruins the entire piece:

While Alexander said the decision to pursue Lin was “all basketball,” he acknowledged that he could potentially impact the Rockets’ brand in the way that Yao Ming did, expanding its reach in Asia. But that depends on how good Lin becomes and if the team improves along with him.

Lin is American-born, but of Chinese and Taiwanese descent, and the number of Chinese media at the news conference was about equal to the American contingent.

KUHF, Houston’s local NPR station, was even worse

Some say Lin is an obvious fit in Houston, because of his Asian heritage. With Yao Ming gone, Lin could step right in.

At least no one said Lin was filling in the chink Yao’s departure left in the Rockets’ armor. Without the ESPN incident, I suspect that would have been someone’s headline.

Lin, of course, will be great for the Rockets’ business and will bring fans new and old alike to the Rockets. And that’s because, as Ronn Torossian put it, Jeremy Lin is “a marketing dream come true.” That’s in his own right with his own appeal in Asian markets, not as some sort of Yao Ming replacement.

Emil Guilermo over at AALDEF’s blog gets it mostly right

Not since Bruce Lee has there been such a galvanizing athletic pop icon to match Lin. Sure, Yao Ming came close as an NBA center. But Yao was an oddity as a 7-foot 6-inch center from the Mainland. He wasn’t an immigrant. He was an Asian national superstar from China. Lin was the unlikely All-American California kid who broke all stereotypes and played his way to the top. For Asian Americans, there was life after cello practice. Linsanity was awe-inspiring.

But Linsanity isn’t over. It’s just beginning. Like Peter Goodman wrote, the Knicks just screwed it up a bit.

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: Anti-AA Violence, California, Culture, Demographics, Education, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Jeremy Lin, Jobs/Employment Issues, Justin Gillenwater, Media, New York, Religion, Texas

Jeremy Lin: A Class Act

July 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Lin is classy; you can see it shine through in these two tweets

Extremely excited and honored to be a Houston Rocket again!! #RedNation

Much love and thankfulness to the Knicks and New York for your support this past year…easily the best year of my life #ForeverGrateful

Some claim Lin is very focused on money, but he’s turned down $100 million-plus endorsements and only endorsed three companies including, much to my delight, his endorsement deal with Volvo, which must have come about after wooing his parents, if Brandon Steiner’s comments hold true

Steiner said he solidified the business partnership with Lin after attending the NBA All-Star Game in Orlando on Feb. 26, and spending quality face-time with Lin’s “inner circle,” including Lin’s father, Gie-Ming, and mother, Shirley. Steiner said “it’s not any secret” that Shirley Lin “is running the show,” when it comes to the business interests of her son. Steiner added that he didn’t even meet Jeremy Lin until after the All-Star Game, when Lin signed an 18-month contract with Steiner that started in April. The deal with Lin includes autograph singings, corporate appearances, signed memorabilia and game-used jerseys.

“I try to be as objective as I can,” Steiner said, referring to building business partnerships. “Sometimes that can screw you, not meeting with a potential client. His parents were pretty clear about the fact they were taking this seriously. They were pretty firm. Obviously, they’re protective of their son. They wanted to create their own game plan for him, and are trying to do things the right way.”

While the Knicks may be a lost cause in classiness, I wish these Knicks fans were as classy as Lin in their reactions to his departure.

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: California, Jeremy Lin, Justin Gillenwater, New York, Texas

Welcome (Back) To Houston, Jeremy Lin

July 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Houston is delighted to have Jeremy Lin. You can see as much from KHOU’s report from the Chinese Community Center

It seems like the local Fox station was a little too excited about Lin’s return

Some are wondering which church Lin will attend; among his options is a megachurch which holds its services in the former home of the Rockets and to which he already happens to have a very loose connection. If he prefers a Chinese American or pan-Asian American church, Houston has plenty of those too.

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: Demographics, Jeremy Lin, Justin Gillenwater, Religion, Texas

The Knicks Organization Is Foolish, Thankless, And Maybe Even Racist

July 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

The Knicks are foolish to let the classy Jeremy Lin go. Yes, yes there are the financial issues as presented by Next Media Animation

But that’s not the whole picture. Kris Locos of Bleacher Report notes

However, if you look at the numbers, the Knicks will already be over the luxury tax, and so that argument really doesn’t have a lot of merit. Besides that the publicity and money Lin brought in would have covered that. Now, they don’t have him there to draw in viewers.

Which, as Stephen Colbert so brilliantly stated, is precisely why Lin was such a great benefit to the Knicks

This kid has single-handedly done the unthinkable: made people want to watch the New York Knicks

Moreover, the Knicks could very well “dump one of its high-priced stars” to make room in the salary cap for Lin and maybe even another fantastic player.

Josh Levin astutely sums the Knicks’ business decisions

A business school could design a whole year’s curriculum around the Knicks’ cascade of self-harm.

Lin was incredibly valuable for the Knicks. Madison Square Garden, Inc., whose stock price soared with the rise of Lin, lost $70 million of market cap once the Knicks let Lin leave.

The Knicks are thankless, not even issuing a supportive, “all the best” statement to the player who “led an unlikely winning streak that made the long-downtrodden New York Knicks seem momentarily relevant in the NBA title hunt.” Perhaps the Knicks are still stung by their loss in the 1994 NBA Finals to the Rockets.

One may even say the Knicks are racist. Betrayed and deceived are odd words to use about a regular part of the business, but they do fit into some unfortunate stereotypes about Asians. Devin Gordon, in a hard-hitting piece for GQ, calls out the Knicks top brass for their likely racism in their words, actions, and decision:

Lin was reportedly disappointed the Knicks told him to shop around in the first place—he wanted to stay put—but he got over it. Why was Lin aggressively testing the market (i.e., doing what the Knicks told him to do) such an affront? Could it be that Dolan thought the nice, quiet, devout Christian Taiwanese kid would be too cowed by The Great Man to play hardball over money? Could it be that he thought he owned Lin, had made him, and became furious when Lin refused to behave like it? Could it be that he expected Lin to be more – ethnic stereotype alert – submissive?

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: Culture, Economy, Jeremy Lin, Jobs/Employment Issues, Justin Gillenwater, Media, New York, Texas

Where’s The Movie Deal?

July 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

When will we see The Jeremy Lin Story as a movie (and eventual broadway adaptation)? His amazing story in the sport, while still unfinished, already has plenty of material. His return to the Rockets — a team that could have kept him for a pittance — with a $25 million deal over three years only adds to his story.

Come on, Hollywood. Do it! This is a makes for a much better story than Rudy.

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: California, Jeremy Lin, Justin Gillenwater, Media, New York, Texas

Annise Parker Enters Colbert Nation

July 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Houston’s Madam Mayor Annise D. “The Batman” Parker was the guest on last night’s Colbert Report.

Madame Mayor Annise D. Parker with Sir Dr. Stephen T. Colbert

In introducing Parker, Colbert joked

I assume she’s here in New York to pick up Jeremy Lin.

She, however, passed through Colbert Nation on her way to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in nearby Philadelphia. I take that to mean The Colbert Report had its choice of mayors and Parker came out on top.

What does Houston have going for it?

We’re a foodie town, we’re an arts town, we’re a sports town, a theater town, anything you want in a big city you have in Houston, plus we have a good quality of life, we’re affordable and we have jobs.

Yep. An arts town and a theater town. She neglected to mention one of the best restaurants in the country is a nice walk from her house.

Colbert also mocked Houston when noting Parker would be his guest:

I’ll ask her how she broke it to her parents that she wanted to live in Houston

While people enjoy or at least make the best of living in Houston for the above things, they live in Houston for the jobs.

Oil and gas — still the biggest. But we have America’s largest foreign tonnage port, we have Johnson Space Center with NASA and aerospace, and we’re a big manufacturing center

That’s right. Johnson Space Center is still going strong.

When Colbert asked how it’s possible that Parker is the first openly gay mayor of a major American city — insulting Portland, Oregon and ignoring that Houston is one of the largest cities in the world to accomplish such a feat. Parker wisely noted Houston elected her six times before electing her mayor and explained

Houston is very tolerant of a lot of things; they want to know what you can do, not who you are or where you’re from.

Admittedly, I was disappointed Parker failed to mention Houston is the most diverse big city in America.

Watch the full interview:

Only time will tell what the Colbert Bump will mean for Mayor Parker.

- Justin Gillenwater

Filed Under: 2009 Campaign, 2011+2012 Campaigns, Culture, Demographics, Economy, Healthcare, Humor, Jeremy Lin, Jobs/Employment Issues, Justin Gillenwater, LGBT, Local Politics, Media, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas
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