Lin-sanity…So What?

Jeremy Lin (12 PPG, 4 APG) is the starting point guard for the New York Knicks. He is in his second NBA season. He has started four games in his career. In those four starts, Lin has averaged 27 points per game, shooting 51% from the field, averaging 8 assists and two steals per game. Not bad…in fact…pretty darn good!

Every year there are a few players that have breakouts. Every year they get a few minutes on SportsCenter. Every now and then, they go on to have long and productive, if not great careers. Every year, those who continue to perform gradually get increasing coverage. Those who don’t face back in to NBA anonymity.

So why, after four starts, is Jeremy Lin the hottest story in sports during the past week? How did this “Linsanity” come about? What makes him special?


ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

Let’s put our cards on the table right away and not dance around the subject: Lin’s demographics help feed the Lin-sanity. Lin is of Asian descent. Lin played his college ball at Harvard. Yes, “Haaaa-vard”…that Ivy League place. Lin was not drafted. Lin is on the NBA team in The Big Apple, the nation’s largest television market. All of that augments the heat that Lin’s story has received.

If Jeremy Lin were a black guy named Jeremy Jackson who went to Louisville and played for the Milwaukee Bucks, with the same performances, he would likely be a guy getting props on SportsCenter and TNT’s NBA panel. The sports world would keep a keen eye on him. He would not be a headliner. He would not get 10 or more minutes of coverage on sports highlight shows as he did following his 38 point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers.

I don’t have a problem with that. Sports help unite people. Ordinary strangers start conversations over sports, get to know each other, then become friends in some manner on a daily basis in America. I enjoy sports and I think diversity is great for stimulating wholesale interest in basketball, baseball, tennis, golf, and other sports. The only sport that I think will never need any help in my lifetime is NFL football. Make no doubt about it; Jeremy Lin’s profile is a significant driver in the popularity of his story.

What elephant? That's paper mache! 1

ASIAN-AMERICAN INVASION

“Asian-American invasion? What Asian-American invasion? What are you talking about?” One might ask….

That is precisely my point! There is no Asian-American invasion in the NBA and there never has been. According to an article today at sbnation.com, Lin is only the 4th Asian-American ever to play in the NBA. There have been Asian players from overseas, such as former All-Star Yao Ming of China, but Americans of Asian descent, playing basketball at the highest level, are extremely rare.

Lin isn’t a behemoth standing over 7 feet tall from thousands of miles away. He is a man of above-average height from Northern California. Other than being a little tall he fits the profile of what comes to mind upon reading or hearing the words “Asian-American”.

If we are honest with ourselves about the profile of any type of NBA player – star, role player, big man, sixth man, distributor, dunker…I don’t care what descriptors you use – an Asian-American man is never, ever the image that comes to mind. There is a difference between political correctness, which I define as using verbiage in a manner that will make most people comfortable, and political “over-correction”, which I define as discounting or ignoring reality because discussing a topic with a demographic component could make people uncomfortable (I think many people, incorrectly, define political “correctness” as “over-correction”). Anyone ignoring the racial/ethnic component in the appeal of Lin’s story is over-correcting.

This image is the exception, not the rule. 2

SMART GUY

Harvard University is one of our nation’s greatest assets, responsible for developing many of our nation’s most important research, brilliant minds, and powerful leaders. Like any major university, it also competes in athletics and wants to win. However, Harvard’s uncompromised mission has always been to develop the most brilliant minds in the world.

Harvard graduates are smart. They are extremely competitive (as one would have to be to simply be admitted to Harvard). They don’t send a lot of guys to the NBA. To play any major league pro sport, one must exhibit the acute degree of competitiveness in developing one’s game as a Harvard student must exhibit in developing knowledge and understanding of one’s field of study. There are only 24 hours in a day. Very few people can do both. Lin did.

Lin was no threat to win Most Outstanding Player during March Madness. 3

MR. IRRELEVANT

Jeremy Lin was not drafted. Undrafted players reach the NBA, often via the Developmental League, every year. However, the number of players who try dwarfs the number of players who make it. America loves an underdog and Lin is an underdog, by any definition.

Remember LeBron James’ declaration that the Miami Heat would win, “Not one…not two…not three (and then some)…,” championships? Jeremy Lin’s rights have belonged to not one, not two, but three different NBA teams in the past year and a half (Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and New York Knicks). This man has suffered hard knocks and paid his dues as much as any player ever to reach the NBA. America loves an underdog and sports media feasts upon them when they arise.

What's worse? Failing to meet high draft day expectations or exceeding low expectations? 4

NEW YORK, NEW YORK!

Jeremy Lin could not have landed in a better place to begin realizing his basketball potential. New York is a basketball Mecca. New York is a media Mecca. New York is a marketing Mecca. New York is a Mecca for the rich and famous. New York is the most populated city in America.

What this means, for any rapidly rising star, is that accomplishments will be amplified and observed by many, possibly more than in any other city. When there is a good basketball story, it is news. When there is a good Knicks story, it is a headline. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Lin could not have had any greater fortune, should he choose to capitalize on his newfound fame, than to land in Gotham.

Only in New York, baby! 5

BALLIN’!!!

As I said, if Jeremy Lin were a black guy named Jeremy Jackson who went to Louisville and played for the Milwaukee Bucks, with the same performances, he would be the highlight of his team’s highlight reels. Conversely, if Jeremy Lin of the Knicks averaged two points, less than one assist, and ten minutes played per game, he could possibly be omitted from the box score. Sports are about winning and individuals receive recognition, ultimately, because of their performances.

Lin’s stat lines for the first four starts of his career are staggering, by any standard. His 38 point performance against the Los Angeles Lakers last Friday is lead-story material on its own merit. Some of his moves to the basket are poster-worthy.

Josh Innes, a personal friend of mine and co-host of the J & R show in Houston, raised the point yesterday that the driver of Linsanity is Lin’s performances, augmented by his off the court profile. Innes went on to point out that the anchor of Lin’s press clippings are in contrast to the mania surrounding NFL quarterback Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos, which is anchored as much, if not more, by Tebow’s outward expression of his Christian faith as Tebow’s performance on the gridiron and the Broncos’ rapid, unexpected turnaround last season.

I could not agree more. Lin’s Asian ethnicity draws attention to his story. Lin’s unlikely path to the NBA draws attention to his story. Lin’s place of employment amplifies everything about his story. Without the on-court achievement, there would be no story. The story continues tonight at the Air Canada Centre against the Toronto Raptors. To quote a Daily Hat Trick favorite, Bart Scott, “CAN’T WAIT!”

Moves like this are the glory of the story. 6

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1) Image from http://phrases.org.uk
2) Image from www.thenolookpass.com
3) Image from www.gocrimson.com
4) Image from www.logarchism.com
5) Image from http://news.yahoo.com
6) Image from www.cleveland.com

10 Surprising Athletic Programs That Used to be Powerhouses

With each passing day, the Hat Trick continues to add to its legion of dozens of followers. Jena Ellis, of Online Certificate Programs was kind enough to submit a guest column to us. I thought a change of pace would be great for you, the readers. After all, too much of a good thing, yours truly, can become stale after a while!

Thank you, Jena, for the following.

10 Has Been Programs

College sports fans often complain about the disparity between the "haves" and "have nots." In college football, Alabama, Notre Dame, USC and Oklahoma own a bulk of the national titles from the last 90 years. In college basketball, UCLA, Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Indiana and Kansas are the dominant six that have presided over the sport over last several decades. While parity may never truly take hold, the powerhouses will likely change over time, as evidenced by the examples of former powerhouses provided below. These programs aren't nearly as dominant — or nearly as relevant — as they were years ago, but they'll always have those glory years in which they immeasurably contributed to the evolution of major college athletics.

1) Princeton Tigers football

With 28 claimed national titles, even Alabama fans are taken aback by Princeton's early dominance. The Tigers were early adopters of the sport, a variant of rugby, participating in the first-ever football game against Rutgers on November 6, 1869. They lost 6-4, but won the rematch a week later, leading to a split of the first national title. During the first 40 years of college football, the Tigers won 22 national titles, an era of success unparalleled by any other college athletic team — save for their rivals at Yale. Their last national title came in 1950, which was followed by Dick Kazmaier's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1951, the only time a Tiger has won the award.

2) Yale Bulldogs football

During the late 19th century, college football became more structured, closer resembling the sport we know today. Head coaches were being hired for the first time, perhaps the most notable of which was Walter Camp, the "Father of Football," who finished his playing career at Yale six years before he was hired. He tallied a 67-2 record at the helm, capturing three national titles. None of his successors lost more than two games until 1914, 22 years after he left the program. The foundation he nurtured is the primary reason Yale ranks second all-time in wins behind Michigan, boasts 28 College Football Hall of Fame inductees — such as Amos Alonzo Stagg — and two Heisman winners.

3) Harvard Crimson football

Yale's archrival isn't quite as accomplished, but possesses a rich history of success consisting of 12 national titles and 20 College Football Hall of Fame inductees. Although the Crimson's last claimed national title came in 1920, a year in which it defeated Oregon in the Rose Bowl, it remains the eighth winningest program in college football history. Their most cherished wins have come in "The Game" — though they trail the series 54-65-8 — which has been played since 1875, making it the second-oldest continuing rivalry in college football. Many of the sport's rules and traditions were born during the yearly event.

4) Penn Quakers football

Hallowed Franklin Field, football's oldest stadium, has been the host to an abundance of the sport's elite talent. Built in 1895, it has hosted six of Penn's seven national title-winning teams and a majority of its 63 First Team All-Americans. The Quakers have tallied a remarkable 23 undefeated seasons at home, a distinction that modern powerhouses could only wish to duplicate. Home or away, they've always performed consistently, currently holding the most outright Ivy League titles (12), proving they can dominate different levels and eras of college football. Penn's most notable football alumni include John Heisman (after which the Heisman Trophy was named), John Outland (after which the Outland Trophy was named) and Chuck Bednarik (after which the Bednarik Award was named).

5) Cornell Big Red football

Pop Warner's work as a player and then coach facilitated the emergence of Cornell as a power, enabling his successors to bring home five national titles. Their first title was perhaps their most glorious, as they ended goliath Harvard's 50-game winning streak en route to an undefeated season. From 1921 to 1923, the Big Red tallied a 24-0 record and three more national titles, exhibiting pure dominance as they bludgeoned their opponents by a combined 1,051 points to 71. Their last national title came in 1939, a year, interestingly, in which they opted out of consideration for a Rose Bowl appearance.

6) Lafayette Leopards football

Lafayette is responsible for introducing the helmet and huddle, two basic components of modern football. The Leopards are also historically relevant for their numerous accomplishments from the 1920s to 1940s — including two of their three national titles — an era that was kicked off by legendary head coach Jock Sutherland, who compiled a 33-8-2 record from 1919 to 1923. For a period during his tenure, which included the 1921 national title season, his squad outscored its opponents 495-47. Most rewarding was the Leopards' early success against Lehigh in "The Rivalry," one of college football's most anticipated games annually.

7) Chicago Maroons football

A founding member of the Big 10 conference, Chicago exemplified Midwestern-style football under head coach Amos Alonzo Stagg, who guided the Maroons to seven Big 10 titles and two national titles during his four decades at the helm. During the time, he contributed to several football innovations, including the forwards pass, T-formation, quarterback keeper, end-around and lateral pass. Three years after he left the program, the Maroons experienced another first, as Jay Berwanger was the inaugural recipient of what would become known as the Heisman Trophy. In 1939, University President Robert Hutchins abolished the program, stating that football was detriment to higher education.

8) Army Black Knights football

Given the strict requirements that come with playing football at Army, coaches have always struggled to build a program that could complete with the best in the nation. Earl Blaik had the most success, as he was hired on the condition that Army would discontinue its height-to-weight restrictions, which enabled him to collect enough talent to oversee four undefeated seasons. His two national title teams featured a backfield consisting of Felix "Doc" Blanchard, the 1945 Heisman winner, and Glenn Davis, the 1946 Heisman winner — the tandem set the record for most touchdowns (97) scored by teammates in a career. Pete Dawkins was the Black Knights' third and final Heisman winner, winning it in 1958 before the program slipped to mediocrity.

9) San Francisco Dons basketball

Because of the work of coaches Pete Newell and Phil Woolpert, the Dons remain one of the most storied programs in college basketball history, despite the fact that it was temporarily abolished during the early '80s. Newell instilled a winning attitude, and Woolpert ushered the program into an era of unprecedented success — thanks, in no small part, to the recruitment of famed center Bill Russell. The Dons won the 1955 and '56 national titles, and reached the Final Four for a third time in 1957. During the '70s, they again reached No. 1 in the polls amid accusations of cheating — the program was spiraling out of control. In 1977, their last great season, the undefeated Bill Cartwright-led Dons went 29-0, but lost their last two games and faded from the national title hunt. Remarkably, the program boasts 11 Sweet Sixteen and seven Elite Eight appearances.

10) Texas Western Miners basketball

Most people remember Texas Western for its landmark national title victory over Kentucky in 1966, in which Don Haskins' five African-American starters outplayed Adolph Rupp's five white starters. It was a resounding social statement, and the height of Haskins' success with the program. In 1964 and 1967, the Miners' finished the seasons by winning the Regional Third Place Game after bowing out in the Sweet Sixteen. As the color barrier deteriorated, the program lost its advantage, but has remained competitive amid a name change — Texas Western became known as UTEP in 1967 — and conference changes.

SPECIAL THANKS

Again, Jena Ellis is with http://www.onlinecertificateprograms.org/. Be sure to check out their website. Have a great Monday, Hat Trick readers!

Don't forget to vote in the fan polls!

To advertise with The Daily Hat Trick, or to submit a guest column, please contact the editor at eric@thedailyhattrick.info.

The Daily Hat Trick is sponsored by Sports N Stuff. For great deals on jerseys, shirts, cologne, and other guy stuff, visit http://www.sportsnstuff.biz/.