Aren’t you a Little Short to Play Ball?: Japanese American Youth and Racial Microaggressions in Basketball Leagues”

In February 2012, Jeremy Lin was taken off the bench and put in the game after several starters for the New York Knicks were injured. Much to the surprise of the media and basketball fans alike, Lin went on to have a string of successful games in which he broke numerous scoring records. The birth of “Linsanity” came shortly after Lin’s success and popularity reached a feverish pitch. For the sports media, players, and fans, Lin’s race seemed to be the focal point in many spectators’ minds. Headlines such as “Amasian!” and images of Lin emerging from a fortune cookie racialized Lin’s presence on the court in ways that distinguished him from his black and white teammates. Moreover, sports commentators and analysts characterized Lin as a “cerebral player” and a “student of the game,” an image fitting the Asian American model minority stereotype, as someone who is hard working, intelligent, humble, and non-threatening.