Sean's Take: Last time I wrote, I touched on the idea of sports heroes, and whether or not the sports public was ready to embrace them once again, and I mentioned the growing popularity of Jeremy Lin. Well, even in the limited time since that post Linsanity has grown even further. And my skeptical mind is having a hard time resisting him.
Let's start with some background on Lin for the Tom among you. He played his high school ball in the Bay Area at Palo Alto High School and earned numerous all-state honors while there (although my friend Sam swears up and down that he really wasn't that good) plus a state championship. But when his high school career ended, Lin didn't get any scholarship offers (not even from Stanford, which is literally across the street from his high school) from big schools, and instead opted to pay his way through Harvard. Again, Lin shined at Harvard, but unsurprisingly no NBA team was eager to draft a guy from the weak Ivy League.
But Lin worked his way into a contract with his hometown team, the Golden State Warriors, which made him the first Asian-American to play in the Association. Last season was his rookie year, and despite spending a lot of his time in the D-League he was a huge hit with the local Asian population. But the Warriors were pretty guard heavy, and released him. The Knicks took a chance on him this year, expecting him to play in a depth role at best. But after some injuries and emergencies Lin was forced to start playing long minutes, and he's been fantastic ever since. He's put up 20+ points in the each of the last 3 games since he's been thrust into this enhanced role.
Lin and Tim Tebow have some things in common. They're both deeply religious, they're media darlings, they both have fought against perceived discrimination, etc. But I've always resented Tim Tebow, which doesn't come because of who he is but because of who he's been wrongly made out to be. Tebow is propped up as a hero for...some reason. He was a pretty decent college player who maybe had the tools to be a mediocre NFL player and was that at best, yet became a media darling. Lin, while certainly a hero to the Asian-American population, was never meant to be a star for the rest of the world. Lin has consistently kept his head down, understood his role, and worked his ass off to prove people wrong. He's also had to deal with negative perceptions of Asians in sports most of the way.
But most importantly, and most simply, Lin earned this attention through his play. He waited patiently for his chance, and took it as well as anyone I've seen in recent years. It comes off as something like Rookie of the Year or The Rookie or any other number of unlikely sports stories. Unlike players who ESPN appoints as a king before they begin their careers, Lin is the true underdog story that America wants. Plus, it certainly helps that his demeanor is calm and determined, more hockey player than basketball player.
As I write this, Lin is in the process of destroying the Lakers. 18 points and 5 assists with a few minutes left in the 2nd Quarter. Madison Square Garden is going ballistic. It's beautiful to watch, and sports media outlets are picking up on it for good reason. There's nothing there to dislike about this guy, making him the potential hero that we deserve.
Tom's Take:So I'm not a basketball fan. I readily admit to not knowing or really caring about the sport. I resent basketball, and I have ever since I first realized I wasn't very good at playing in elementary school. The only real take I have to say about Lin is that I'm glad that he's beating the Lakers. I hate the Lakers most of all.
I will make a quick comment about Tebow. Tebow was not anointed the King of the NFL. The Tebow hype began after the Broncos began making a series of incredible comebacks, most notably against the Bears, who by all accounts should have won that game. It was miraculous that the Broncos made the playoffs. Then they managed to beat the Steelers.Was it all because of Tim Tebow? Of course not, but the media has trouble reporting on things like the Broncos D playing extremely well, or a kicker making some incredible Field Goals. They need to credit the quarterback. So Tebow became a media darling. Is that his fault? No it isn't, and if his story helped inspire some people, there's nothing wrong with it.
Tim Tebow may not be the sports hero we deserve, but he's the sports hero we need.
Sean's Reply: Tom, Tebow had been anointed the chosen one since he was in high school, and yes, I watched one of his games in high school on ESPN. The hype wasn't as bad then but it was certainly in the making. And I never said it was his fault, but I'm also not going to root for the guy when it's not something I want to see. I very much believe in conscious consumerism, so there's no way in hell I'm going to support any media dedicated to Tebow.
But Jeremy Lin...oh my. 38 points tonight in a win over the Lakers. This wasn't just watching a game, this was my version of David Foster Wallace's "Roger Federer as Religious Experience (and if you haven't read that article before, read it immediately. It's one of the great sports writings of all time). For someone who hasn't been obsessed with basketball for 15 years, it's pretty incredible that someone can have that effect on me. Just wow.
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