Jackie Robinson
made history in America by becoming the first black
baseball player in the Major Leagues in 1947. Whereas colored people were
previously banned from playing in the majors, Jackie Robinson broke the
color barrier and became a star in the Majors. His persistence, skill, desire,
and love for the game is well remembered, and his milestone achievement
has set new openings for blacks in baseball and other sports. Woody Strode
and Kenny Washington entered the modern era NFL in 1947, and in 1950, Earl
Lloyd made history as the first black player in the NBA.
For the latter half of the 20th
century,
black Americans quickly filled the roster spots
of professional sports teams in America, and whereas once a minority,
the black athlete became a dominant force in the NFL and NBA. Regardless
of who the majority or minority was, racial groups in professional sports
were either black or white, and Asians were hardly known or seen in athletics.
That
was decades ago,
where professional athletes in America were simply grouped as black or white.
Actually, there were very few Asian athletes back then, such as Chinese
American Walter Achiu, running back and punt returner, in the 1927-1928
NFL and Japanese American Wat Misaka, point guard, in the 1947 NBA, but
they were too far and few in between. In more recent years,
Dat Nguyen
Asians have finally made a breakthrough in modern day pro sports in America,
and made a positive impact in the media and provided role models to many
Asian Americans in a field which had few predecessors.
In the NFL, Korean American Eugene Chung from Virginia Tech entered the NFL in 1992. A regular starting offensive lineman at Virginia Tech, he was selected in the first round. Several years later, Dat Nguyen, a Vietnamese American linebacker from Texas A&M, was selected in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.
AsianSportsNet Background Information
The website www.AsianSportsNet.comis dedicated to provide useful, objective, and updated
information to the global readership about Asians in professional
sports in America, and Asians in Asia who have the potential to
enter American professional sports.
It is meant to provide a
centralized collection of links and articles, as well as a permanent
archive, relevant to the topic of Asian athletes.
The NBA game
has extended beyond the borders of America. Where few Asians had brief
stints with the NBA,
Wang
Zhi Zhi from China found a solid roster spot
after being selected in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft. At
7'1" and possessing accurate shooting skills, Wang has the tools to
succeed in the NBA.
Menk
Bateer, a roadhouse blocker type at 6'11" and a hefty
290 pounds, was a teammate from the Chinese National basketball team
who joined the NBA a few years later as a free agent.
The biggest Asian impact on the NBA, and possibly on the entire
American sports scene, is Yao
Ming. At 7'5" and possessing incredible agility and shooting
skills, Yao was selected as the number one overall draft pick in the
2002 NBA draft. He made an immediate impact with the Houston Rockets,
becoming a regular starter and nearly leading the Rockets to the championship
playoffs, a previously unattainable scenario for the Rockets.
Yao and Wang
The Great Walking
Wall of China,
Wang Zhizhi, Menk Bateer, and Yao Ming, showed to the world that Asians
do have the potential to make it in pro sports. With NBA international
recruiting scouts confirming the presence of dozens of 7 foot tall basketball
players in the northern provinces of China, and a few in Korea such as
the 7'3" and growing high school student Ha
Seung Jin, having Yao Ming's potential in size and skills, and the
overwhelming majority of these prospects being younger than 21 years of
age, the Asian impact on the NBA will only increase in the 21st century,
an influence that cannot and will not be ignored.
of Asian athletes. While a few Asian Americans have
entered the Majors in the 1970s, Ryan Kurosaki and Lenn Sakata, the Asian
impact of America's Major League has been across the Pacific, namely Japan
and South Korea. Pitchers like Chan Ho Park, Hideo Nomo, Kazuhiro Sasaki,
Byung-hyun Kim, and Kazuhisa Ishii, and positional players like Ichiro
Suzuki, Hee Seop Choi, and Hideki Matsui, and all Asian players numbering
over a total of 20 on the 2003 Major League rosters, have proved to the
world Asians have a permanent place in baseball.
Paul Kariya
Hockey has seen
its share
of Asian hockey stars as well. Jimmy Chison Paek, a Korean Canadian who
has played in many Canadian professional leagues, joined the NHL in 1990
and helped lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to two consecutive Stanley Cup
Championships. Paul Kariya, who's father is Japanese, joined the NHL in
1993 and became a strong contender with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Richard
Park is another noteworthy Asian American hockey player who joined the
NHL in 1994, as well as a few other half-Japanese players who later joined,
namely Steve Kariya, Jamie Storr, and David Tanabe.
Photo of Amy Yee in Action
Courtesy of Seattle Times
"As an exceptional tennis player and an
inspirational community leader, now one of West Coast's top-rated
tennis facilities, The Tennis Center on MLK, Jr. Way, was renamed
in Amy Yee's honor in 2001."
The Wing
Luke Asian Museum celebrates yesterday and today's local
and national Asian Pacific American sports heroes. Come learn
how sports has been used as a vehicle for empowerment and unity
in the Asian Pacific American community.
The exhibit includes the oral histories of APA
Athletes and others involved in the area of sports. The exhibit
will display an array of sports artifacts and paraphernalia.
In this new millennium, it is a bright color spectrum that encompasses
all colors and races. It has extended beyond the borders of America and
gone global. The hundreds of millions viewers in China who have watched
Yao Ming debut in the NBA, the millions of dollars generated by commercials
and promotionals done by several popular Asian athletes, the positive
role models for Asian Americans in a previously untouched territory, Asians
have made a statement to the world through American sports.
