Racism in Basketball between China and the USA - Case Study Example

Racism in Basketball between China and USA Racism in Basketball between China and USA As Wang (2004) illustrates, there has been apparent racism with basketball affiliations between China and the United States in several instances. Various non-Chinese citizens have made assumptions based on the election of the United States President Barack Obama and the escalating number of African American sportspersons playing for China like basketball player Stephon Marbury. They argue that this has improved in the transformation of racism perceptions between China and the United States. China’s political catchphrase over the past ten years has been of harmony, but its Army basketball team does not seem to be at par with the same (Gries, 2005). In 2011, the United States Vice President Joe Biden made a trip to Beijing China, and on the second day of his visit, there was a friendly basketball match. That was between the United States Georgetown Hoyas team and China’s Army-affiliated Bayi Rockets team. However, the basketball match did not turn out to be so much friendly eventually because each of the teams began engaging in hostile pushing and yelling. It persisted until one Chinese basketball player hurt in the abdomen shouted racist and offensive remarks at the Georgetown Hoyas coach, which made an eruption of both sides rising from their benches and crowding the basketball court. The scuffle rapidly evolved into a very rough brawl between the United States and Chinese players. The chaotic fracas lasted for a few minutes while the referees watched on, and the basketball players stomped on each other and threw chairs towards one another. In addition to this, the audience tossed full water bottles and other waste at the basketball court to add salt to the injury. Eventually, the Georgetown Hoyas’ coach called off his team from the basketball court, and the match was ruled a tie between the two teams (Stone, 2011). Reactions to the skirmish among the Chinese people were torn between humiliation and conceit because of racism. To a majority of the Chinese people, the incident tarnished the ambiance of hospitality that China had been trying to exhibit while the United States Vice President was in the country. It was indeed embarrassing to the Chinese people and a major loss of face for them. Several people who watched the scuffle between China and the United States called the Chinese players hooligans with poor basketball techniques, and even poorer character. However, some people applauded the Chinese players’ belligerence as bravery toppled with statements of racism. It involved the people saying that the Georgetown Hoyas players were striking with their black hands and that they should be attacked nevertheless. The people who supported China argued that the United States should have been the ambassadors of their Vice President that was visiting China and that they embarrassed him, and not the other way around. Other racist people against the United States stated that the American basketball players are big and fierce black people. However, when it comes to fighting, the Chinese people can still kick the expletive out of them. The racist remarks over the basketball brawl between the two countries went as far as people blaming the Americans for even fighting in their NBA matches, and they called the Georgetown Hoyas players stupid expletive black people (Stone, 2011). China’s basketball team, just like the majority of its global counterparts, also participates in other basketball scuffles. China’s team played Brazil and a ruthless brawl ensued between the two teams that were by far worse than China and the United States fight. However, because of the involvement of the many African American players playing for the United States, there was a massive uproar of racist slurs from the sides supporting their teams. In addition, the fact that Georgetown Hoyas versus Bayi Rockets team combined with the high profile visit by the United States dignitaries made this scuffle even more magnified. Even to others, it was analogous to Beijing’s get-tough policy on Washington over the United States economy. Before the match, the Chinese media had been attempting to put up the friendly imagery of the exhibition game. The night prior to the match against Bayi Rockets, Georgetown Hoyas monotonously conquered a team from Shanxi province, and the government spokesperson produced an article in relation to how Biden accelerated his basketball diplomacy. Later on, a China Times editorial produced an entire 24 hours subsequent to the brawl and completely failed to mention about the aggression and racist slurs. Instead, it concentrated on the match as being oriental technique diplomacy. Despite the elisions to Chinas social media, the representation of the basketball game was uncomfortable because of racist attacks. In addition, the two basketball teams made things very uneasy for their country’s leaders because diplomacy and racism do not mix (Stone, 2011). A second incident of racism within the realm of basketball between China and the United States is exemplified by Jeremy Lin’s scenario. Jeremy Lin is the pioneering American-born NBA basketball player from Chinese or Taiwanese origin. According to the Daily Mail Reporter, (2011), Lin affirmed that there is a looming anti-Asian racism in basketball and stated that he would have loved to play in New York perpetually had it not been for the racial discrimination he received. He commenced a new season with the Houston Rockets right after New York Knicks failed to be equivalent to Rockets’ offer that would have retained him in New York. He equally stated that racism might have played an imperative role in his rise to prominence in New York. Lin hoped to keep his great basketball spirit and phenomenon called Linsanity alive in Houston because he was ousted from the Big Apple due to racism. Jeremy Lin automatically became Houston Rockets point guard since he was formerly one of New York’s greatest basketball players during his time with the Knicks. His journey in the United States as a basketball player began from Harvard to Madison Square Garden and then to Houston, and he expressed his experiences with the different coaches. Just 23 years of age and a point guard player undrafted from Harvard, Lin became a global trend and one of the greatest stories in basketball from just one single astounding month in New York. However, the New York Knicks eventually determined that the Linsanity fan whirl and phenomenon was too great and mighty for the team’s financial budget to maintain. Lin attested to being much bigger than just a one-hit spectacular in the Big Apple. He gained 28 and 23 points in his initial two NBA matches, and then achieved a career skyrocket with a defining moment of 38 in a 92-85 victory conquering the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant. The securities market price for Madison Square Garden accelerated on the construction and eminence of the team’s global basketball star. In addition to that, Lin also featured on the Sports Illustrated cover in successive weeks, the only 12th sportsperson to cleave to that prestige since 1990. However, it was not the first time that Lin put on a Rockets jersey. In fact, he played with the team for two preseason matches in the previous year before he was put on waivers and eventually absorbed into the New York Knicks. Therefore, Lin received a re-acquisition into Houston Rockets and the general manager, Daryl Morey celebrated and welcomed him back to the team with the number 7 jersey (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011). The Houston Rockets became even more determined to hold onto Lin even much more despite the racial stereotype of being a Chinese-American player that he previously received. In addition to this, critics argued that he was let go off so easily because of his Asian descent. Moreover, his team despite the uproar of the fan base and the financial escalations, would have still maintained any typical status quo American or African-American basketball player. However, Lin was encouraged that he was going to love the Houston Rockets and its Red Nation fan base. It happened after they waived Lin following two weeks into their training camp routine. The Houston Rockets team owner stated that the team was ecstatic to have Jeremy Lin back, and it was clear that they still wanted him to maintain the big name that he made in New York (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011). The New York Knicks initially claimed that they could match any financial deal to keep hold of Lin by any chance. However, the Houston Rockets made it difficult for New York Knicks to retain him by backloading their financial statement deal with 15 million dollars remuneration within the third season. If the Knicks accepted the offer, they would have received an immense extravagance tax in 2014-2015 because of other big contracts on their checkbooks worth 30 to 40 million dollars. One sports consultant and analyst stated that the modification to the deal sheet was a brilliant move by the Houston Rockets general manager. According to him, the Houston Rockets deserved a lot of credit for the way they went about their offer. He continued by saying that it was a tremendously intelligent move with the stroke of a genius and an assassin’s feel. However, Houston Rockets initially made the bad move by waiving Lin because it already had two other basketball players on the register. The New York Knicks absorbed Lin and gave him his first real shot (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011). He was shortly downgraded to the developmental league, summoned up, and eventually received his opportunity when the coach placed him in with the Knicks splashing at 8-15. Lin made a career elevating 25 score in a 99-92 triumph over the New Jersey Nets, and that was how the Linsanity phenomenon came into existence. In the previous night, he had slept on a teammate’s sofa while still reluctant to get his place as he proceeded into that week. That was because he knew that the New York Knicks would have to determine whether to slash him or assure his contract for the entire season. In 2011, Jeremy Lin stated he might have been en route to Europe in if he had not been granted an opportunity with the New York Knicks. Lin made affirmative remarks that his Asian Chinese race had plenty to do with his impulsive fame as a basketball player in the United States. He stated that there were numerous stereotypes and perceptions towards Asian-Americans in the present social fabric. To add onto this, the fact that he is an Asian-American basketball player makes it even more difficult for people to believe, as it is more out of the ordinary. However, he still asserted that he was more determined to play well for an extensive duration of time for various people to believe it. He decided to so because he is an Asian-American basketball player, and that is simply the reality of it. Lin became absorbed into the Houston Rockets after New York Knicks proclaimed that they would not attain the apparent 25 million dollars for three years that Rockets bid for the Chinese-American basketball player. Nevertheless, for a basketball player beginning a new chapter in his NBA career, there was still a great degree of nostalgic melancholy concerning his departure from the Big Apple and all its basketball fans. Lin remarked that it was impossible to ask for a city or a fan base to embrace a basketball star the way that they embraced him in New York. Lin played for the New York Knicks for just two years under his belt in the league. However, he still wanted to play before his fan base for the rest of his NBA career because of the great support he received from them (Daily Mail Reporter, 2011). A third alleged racist act in basketball was in 2008 after a photo incident between Spanish people who also play for numerous teams in the United States of America, and the Chinese people. The photo was taken on the Spanish Olympics basketball team for men, and it sparked a massive racial controversy among numerous Chinese nationals and other people that supported them. The photo illustrated all the basketball players slanting their eyes using their index fingers that may have suggested they were either mimicking or mocking the Chinese people. It ignited a lot of storm among the Asian minority rights groups as they claimed that it was a racist gesture aimed towards them. Matters became even more coincidental and apparent when the photo was taken before the basketball team left for Beijing in China. News reports further accelerated the controversy, and people outside China backed the Chinese people and suggested it was an unnecessary racist demeanor from people supposed to enhance great sportsmanship. However, the basketball team denied any affiliations with racism and affirmed that people looked deep into the photo to spur false suggestions against them (Cable News Network, 2008). A minority group that represents Asians in the United States stated that the photo was disconcerting and obviously racist against most Asians based on their small-eyed appearance. The photo was also disseminated in China, and numerous Chinese citizens condemned it in online bulletin boards and blogs. Several Chinese people made statements such as “shame on you” and “silly basketball team” because they felt it was a passive racist gesture towards them. Nevertheless, other people dismissed the photo as much ado about nothing while some suggested it was not intended for any racist purpose other than just kidding around (Cable News Network, 2008). One of the basketball players in the photo known as Calderon who also plays in the NBA asserted in a website blog that the photo was interpreted erroneously and was not at all racist. He stated that a sponsor asked the basketball team to pose for their participation in China and that they just happened to formulate an oriental gesture using their eyes. He claimed that the photo was even used in an advertisement for a courier corporation that sponsored their basketball federation and hence it was not of any racist intention. He also said that they believed it was appropriate and that it would have been interpreted as being rather positive instead of the various media outlets making it appear otherwise. Moreover, the Spanish Basketball Federation president, supported by various United States representatives, argued that people were wrong and ridiculous to malign the photo towards racist overtones. To back up his stance, he stated that the photo was simply an illustration of friendliness and identification with the Chinese community. Moreover, he argued that Spain and China have no racism antagonism with one another and that they have great respect for the East and Asia and all their people. Therefore, they made a firm stand that the people who interpreted the photo differently was confused (Cable News Network, 2008). George Wu, the deputy director of the Organization of Chinese Americans in Washington, still argued that the photo was racist without a doubt. His organization portrays itself as a social justice association that supports the Asian Pacific Americans living in the United States of America. He asserted that it was regrettable for that type of racist imagery to raise its head during a time when world unity was imperative for the Olympics. He stated that the Asian Pacific Americans backed the Asian-American sportsmen in the United States. According to Wu, it was appalling that the Spanish basketball team who several also played for the United States NBA would create such discordant racist imagery and that they were unapologetic (Cable News Network, 2008). References Cable News Network. (2008). Spanish Olympic Basketball Team in ‘Racist’ Photo Row. CNN International Edition. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/08/14/olympics.photo.spain.basketball/ Daily Mail Reporter. (2011). Jeremy Lin says there IS anti-Asian racism in basketball - and reveals he would have played in New York forever. Daily Mail Online UK. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2218668/Jeremy-Lin-NBA-sensation-says-anti-Asian-racism-basketball.html Gries, P. H. (2005). Social Psychology and the Identity-Conflict Debate: Is a ‘China Threat’ Inevitable? European Journal of International Relations, 11(2), 235-265. Stone, I. F. (2011). The China-U.S. Basketball Brawl: Chinese Netizens React to Court Violence with Racist Remarks. The Daily Beast. Retrieved from http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/19/georgetown-china-basketball-fight-the-chinese-blogosphere-reacts-to-the-brawl.html Wang, C. M. (2004). Capitalizing the big man: Yao Ming, Asian America, and the China Global 1. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 5(2), 263-278. Read More