Jeremy Lin was
one of the most talked about athletes during last year’s shortened NBA season. This was a good sign in sports media because it ignored the topic of if the Heat will win a championship or not for a while. Lin
was lighting up the headlines during shows like SportsCenter, Around the Horn, First
Take, and the comical show Saturday Night Live. Lin’s impact on the game of basketball
caught the attention and hearts of fans from across the nation, but more
importantly the world. It was truly an underdog story that featured a Harvard
graduate in-and-out of the D-League to sitting the bench in the NBA while seeing
little to none playing time. It was when Lin got his chance and shined during a
game he played for the New York Knicks, a large city and even larger market for
fans in America to keep up with the team and their success, or in this case,
lack-there-of. Since the Knicks were struggling winning games due to injuries
and bad play, the Knicks coach, Mike D’Antoni, gave Lin his moment. It was the
start of that game that according to Sean Gregory’s article, “Linsanity!” he
said, “ So all Lin did was go out and score more points in his first five
starts—136—than any other player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976 (Par. 3).” Truly
an accomplishment that not even today’s best players in the NBA have done in
the past.
The start of
Linsanity not only launched his basketball career, but also in the market by
fans. According to Gregory, “His
No. 17 jersey is now the top online seller in the NBA (Par. 6).” This could be due to the increase in
the global fan base reaching out to Eastern countries like China and
Taiwan. Lin’s impact was so great,
that “The NBA’s television partners in China, Taiwan and the Philippines rushed
to add Knicks games (Par. 6).” Lin’s
stage was the perfect start playing for a big market team in New York that
during his moment of dominance of Linsanity gave the NBA its biggest fan increase
in countries like China and Asian-Americans everywhere.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that Jeremy Lin has made a huge impact on the sports world. It does not surprise me that his jersey was the top selling jersey in the NBA, because when Yao Ming played for the Rockets, his jersey was always one of the top sellers and when Yao was hurt, he was still voted to start in the All Star Game by the fans because the Asian culture supported him. Now that Yao is done playing, they have another superstar to look up to. I also find it interesting that Lin left the big market of New York to join the Rockets, once where he was released and also where Yao played his years in the NBA. It will be interesting to see how relevant Lin stays in the national sports media now that he is playing for the Rockets.
-Tyler Jester
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree with you on how much Jeremy Lin has made an impact in sports. I was actually really shocked to read that his jersey was the top selling jersey in the NBA. The only reason why I think that I was shocked is because I figured there would be other top athletes who were at the top of the charts for their jerseys being sold. Jeremy Lin has a lot of great talent and even though I haven’t watched him play much ball I have seen some highlights of him playing. He has some amazing talent and I can’t wait to see him progress further and see how he players father into his career.
--Lindsey Landversicht
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteAs usual I agree with you and your opinion on this matter. Lin made such a huge impact on the game of basketball on a global level, that I think it will be something this generation remembers for a long time. I find myself doubting the success of Lin and this trend if he were playing somewhere else. Let's imagine that this tear he went on occurred with the Utah Jazz or the Pacers, that would be a different situation in my opinion. As much as he deserved the hype and press, the exposure he received in New York is what has ultimately led to his high selling jersey and the Linsanity.
-Hunter Haas