Linsanity

OK, some points here. Race is an angle to this story for sure. If he wasn't Asian, it wouldn't be such a big deal. If he didn't graduate from Harvard, this wouldn't be such a big deal. Heck, if wasn't playing in New York, this wouldn't be such a big deal.

There are a couple of other points I'd like to bring up though - like how they say he wasn't even a scholarship athlete when he played at Harvard - thus suggesting he wasn't considered a very good player. Harvard, just like all the other Ivy League schools, doesn't give athletic scholarships. So it's quite likely he could have received an athletic scholarship going somewhere else, but he chose to go to Harvard.

I do find it somewhat humorous that professional basketball is one of very few arenas where graduating from Harvard would actually close more doors than it opens. (Fun fact - I saw on ESPN that fewer Harvard grads have played in the NBA (3) than have been elected president (8)). If he got into Harvard he's smart. Perhaps he made a long term decision that graduating from Harvard would offer more future opportunities to him than going to a bigger name college on a basketball scholarship. Let's face it, most people don't make it to the NBA - even if you're a very good college player. But graduating from Harvard absolutely will open doors for you, and isn't too bad of a Plan B.

 

Did you see the snafus caused by ESPN on Friday night?

After losing to the Rockets on Friday, in which Lin didn't play particularly well, the headline on ESPN.com read "A Chink in the Armor?" Well, as a "Chink" is a not-so-complimentary term to describe someone of Asian descent, this caused quite a stir. ESPN apologized profusely and said it was unintentional. I didn't see the headline at the time it was published (and it was taken down within an hour) - but I can believe it was an honest mistake.

 

It was. The editor said he's used the phrase "chink in the armor" dozens of times in his career, and he'd never made the connection with the racial slur. To be fair, "chink" is a pretty old slur you don't hear too much these days, and he's fairly young (28). Still, he admits what a dumb thing it was and said that if they hadn't dismissed him over it he would have resigned. I kinda feel bad for the guy, but it is what it is.

 

I also feel bad for the guy. If it was an honest mistake - and as I've said I believe it could be - the guy's career is screwed. To be an editor at a major sports media outlet (I'd guess ESPN may well be the biggest in the world), at just 28 tells me to guy is pretty damn good at what he does. He's going to have a hard time finding similar work in the near term. After getting dismissed at ESPN, future prospective employers will ask him why he was let go, and he's going to have to tell them he's "that guy".