It's happening again. American sports fans have fallen for another athlete. Tim Tebow took over the sporting world at the tail end of 2011, but 2012 has brought about a new phenomenon. Tebow always had the hype and his performances proved the doubters wrong, but he was still a first-round draft pick. This time around, the flavor of the month came out of nowhere. The sports story of the year comes from our own Ivy League wolfpack: Harvard University graduate, and now NBA legend, Jeremy Lin.
If you do not know of whom I speak, then you certainly do not have a Facebook or Twitter account Lin has been a trending topic on both social media websites. "Linsanity" has taken over every hourly segment of SportsCenter with comments about his background and most unexpected rise. Lin has burst onto the scene in a brilliant fashion, as his amazing play at the point guard position has boosted his NBA team, the New York Knickerbockers, to the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
What Lin's doing now is somewhat similar, yet completely different, to what Tebow did in this past NFL season. Tebow played spectacularly in the fourth quarter of games, but Lin plays four quarters of smart, educated and efficient basketball. His intelligence on the hardwood has been praised by many coaches, analysts and reporters, though this should come as no surprise from an Ivy League grad.
Every student on this campus will go on to work in his or her industry of choice and will excel because of the education he or she received at this institution. Lin chose a career that is more fun than your ordinary eight-hour job, and he is shining like no one else in his industry because of the intelligence and work ethic he developed at an Ivy League school.
Lin was an elite performer during his high school years but did not receive an athletic scholarship from any university. Harvard and Brown University guaranteed Lin spots on their teams, and eventually Lin chose to become part of the Crimson community. Lin excelled in Cambridge, but despite having the skills and intangibles necessary to be drafted by an NBA team, he was not selected by any squad in the 2010 NBA Draft after his senior season.
Lin ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the Golden State Warriors, his favorite team growing up, and played satisfactorily during his rookie season. He was waived this past offseason, and the Knicks picked up Lin as their third-string point guard but that role would not stick for long.
After a great game off the bench on Feb. 4 against the New Jersey Nets, Lin was promoted to starter for the Knicks' next game. He responded with a sensational performance against over the Utah Jazz, which prompted his coach, Mike D'Antoni, to say he was going to ride Lin "like friggin' Secretariat."
The Knicks, who have superstars on their team like Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, found that Lin was the missing piece they needed to make some noise in the standings. New York is now on a five-game winning streak, and much like when Tebow was leading the Denver Broncos to unbelievable victories, much of the success has been attributed to Lin, the media darling.
The story here is spectacular. At the moment, Lin spends his nights sleeping on his brother's couch in New York City, but he's definitely been going to sleep with a smile recently. In addition to a possible extension from the Knicks, Lin could begin to see a flurry of Chinese endorsement opportunities because he is the first American NBA player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent (Lin's parents emigrated from Taiwan, while their ancestors came to Taiwan from China). Lin's education as an economics major should help him realize that the Chinese sports market could be his for the taking.
The sporting world hasn't seen an Asian basketball player gain this much attention since Yao Ming, the now-retired Houston Rockets center. Ming's various injuries, mostly related to his 7'6" height and the pounding that it caused on his knees and feet, cut short his career two years ago, but Lin is here to save the day.
Lin has captured America's heart and attention in a way we thought only Tebowmania could. New York is buzzing again in a manner not seen since the height of the hatred-filled Knicks-Heat rivalry. If Lin is able to lead the Knicks to the playoffs, fans will be calling for Lin to receive MVP votes. This Cinderella story is surely going to end in splendid fashion, so be sure to tune in to the NBA playoffs to capture an ending that all of America will be anxiously waiting for.
