After discussing the Asianization of America in class I realized how much Asian influence their is in our society today. Many Asian influences exist outside the sports would such as Toyota, Honda, Chinese food, and karate. The sports world over the past few years has also seen Asian influence. Yao Ming is one of the most recognizable NBA players in the world and is one of the best big men in the game. Ming's success in the NBA has opened the door for other Asians to come to the NBA. In baseball many successful players are Asian including Ichiro Suzuki, Hideo Nomo, and the 2009 MLB World Series MVP Hideki Matsui. Another trend starting to develop is many baseball teams trying to sign players from Japan and paying hefty fees to negotiate contracts with them. An example of this is the Boston Red Sox signing pitcher Daisuka Matsusaka because they outbid teams to negotiate with him. To say the least there is starting to become a trend of Asianization in sports. Another topic that caught my interest was how the LPGA is forcing Korean player who can't speak English to speak English. There are two sides to this debate. I agree with the decision because if Korean players are earning money and playing the sport in America they should be able to speak English. The other side to this is American players who speak English should be able to speak other languages when necessary as well. Either way their is great Asian influence not only in our society but in sports.
Great photo of Yao Ming and Jeff Van Gundy. Many of the Korean women players have risen to the top in their first year on the LPGA Tour. It does not really give them time to have learned English. Speaking and being fluent are two different things, of course. I am glad the mandate was abandoned, personally.
ReplyDeleteI never realized before we discussed the topic of Asianization in America in class how much Asian culture we actually have here. I think it's great. America is full of people from different backgrounds so why not experience other cultures here in America. I agree that Yao's success has opened up the door for other international players to get in the game as well. He has carved a path for others to follows. This does however remind me of the concept of the model minority. People see Yao Ming as a model minority, but that's a lot of pressure and what is going to happen if he messes up?
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