Asian Americans have appeared in all major sports in the United States, including the NFL, Olympic sports, the PGA Tour, the NBA, MLS, and other global sports organizations. Many Asian-American athletes have managed to reach the top level of their respective sports, including Tommy Kono, Tiger Woods, Apolo Ohno, and Kristi Yamaguchi.
Although Asian Americans did not face formal discrimination to the same degree as African Americans, stereotyping and other informal discrimination has affected Asian American participation in sports.[1] Asian athletes remain largely underrepresented in American sports.[2]
Basketball
Wataru Misaka broke the BAA (the precursor to the NBA) color barrier when he played for the New York Knicks in the 1947–48 season.[3] Prior to his brief professional career, Misaka helped lead the Utah Utes to victories in the 1944 NCAA and 1947 NIT championships.
During his time with the Knicks, Lin had an exceptional stretch of play popularly dubbed "Linsanity".[5] While prominent Knicks players including Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire were temporarily out due to injuries and personal issues, Lin led the Knicks on a 9-3 stretch while average 22.5 points and 8.7 assists per game.[6]
However, Lin also faced racist remarks by media during this time. Jason Whitlock, a Fox Sports columnist, tweeted, "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight," referencing a stereotype that Asian men have small penises.[7] Whitlock later apologized for the remark.[8]
Later, after a loss to the Charlotte Hornets where Lin posted nine turnovers, ESPN published an article titled "Chink in the Armor," with other references containing the slur occurring in other ESPN media. The article was quickly withdrawn and the writer responsible was fired; Lin, when asked for a comment, said, "“I don’t think it was on purpose. At the same time, they’ve apologized. I don’t care anymore.”[9]
Wally Yonamine played professionally in the NFL for a single season with the San Francisco 49ers in 1947. In his one season with the team, he had 19 carries for 74 yards and caught 3 passes for 40 yards.[12] After his brief career in the NFL Yonamine traveled overseas to play baseball. In 1951, he became the first American to play professional baseball in Japan, leading off for the Yomiuri Giants.
Hines Ward, who was of Korean descent, played both football and baseball. Prior to playing wide receiver at the University of Georgia, Ward was drafted by the Miami Marlins and offered a $25,000 signing bonus.[13] He was drafted 92nd overall in the NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played all 14 seasons for the organization.[14] Ward was also notable for his speaking out against discrimination issues that were occurring in his birthplace of South Korea.
Walter "Sneeze" Achiu was the first person of east Asian descent to play in the National Football League.[15] At the University of Dayton, he was a three-sport athlete participating in football, baseball, and track. Walter Achiu was inducted into the University of Dayton Hall of Fame in 1974.[15] After his time in the NFL, Achiu went on to become a professional wrestling champion when he competed in the 1950s.[15]
Football
Norm Chow was the head coach for the University of Hawaii from 2012 to 2015 and former offensive coordinator for UCLA from 2008 and 2010 after a short stint with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL, after 23 years of coaching other college teams, including four years as offensive coordinator at USC.
From 1923 to 1926, Arthur Matsu, who was of Japanese and Scottish descent, was the quarterback for The College of William & Mary football team. Matsu played one season professionally with the Dayton Triangle, before embarking on a coaching career.
Former Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi is of Filipino and Italian descent. While playing for the Patriots, Bruschi won three Super Bowl rings and was a two-time All-Pro selection. Bruschi is currently an NFL analyst at ESPN. Ed Wang was the first full-blooded Chinese player to both be drafted and to play in the NFL[16] after the AFL–NFL merger, Edward was a former American footballoffensive tackle and played college football at Virginia Tech and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the 2010 NFL Draft. Younghoe Koo, the current kicker for the Atlanta Falcons, was born in South Korea and is the fourth player in NFL history to have been born in South Korea.[a] 2018 Heisman Trophy winner, 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL draft and Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is of partial Korean descent.[18]
Mixed martial arts
Bruce Lee in 1971
In 2004, UFC President Dana White called Bruce Lee, who was born in San Francisco, the "father of mixed martial arts".[19]
Asian Americans first made an impact in Olympic sports in the late 1940s and in the 1950s. Victoria Manalo Draves won both gold in platform and springboard diving in the 1948 Olympics, becoming the first Asian American to earn a gold medal. Sammy Lee became the first Asian American man to earn an Olympic Gold Medal (two days after Draves), winning in platform diving in both 1948 and 1952. Harold Sakata won a weightlifting silver medal in the 1948 Olympics, while Tommy Kono (weightlifting), Yoshinobu Oyakawa (100-meter backstroke) and Ford Konno (1500-meter freestyle) each won gold and set Olympic records in the 1952 Olympics. Konno won another gold and silver swimming medal at the same Olympics and added a silver medal in 1956, while Kono set another Olympic weightlifting record in 1956. Also at the 1952 Olympics, Evelyn Kawamoto won two bronze medals in swimming.
Eric Sato won gold (1988) and bronze (1992) medals in volleyball, while his sister Liane Sato won bronze in the same sport in 1992. Brothers Kawika and Erik Shoji won bronze medals in volleyball in 2016.
Amy Chow was a member of the gold medal women's gymnastics team at the 1996 Olympics; she also won an individual silver medal on the uneven bars. Gymnast Mohini Bhardwaj won a team silver medal in the 2004 Olympics. Bryan Clay who is of half Japanese descent[20] won the decathlon gold medal in the 2008 Olympics, the silver medal in the 2004 Olympics, and was the sport's 2005 world champion.
Apolo Ohno, who is of half Japanese descent,[21] is a short track speed skater and an eight-time Olympic medalist as well as the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time. He became the youngest U.S. national champion in 1997 and was the reigning champion from 2001 to 2009, winning the title a total of 12 times. In 1999, he became the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title, and became the first American to win a World Cup overall title in 2001, which he won again in 2003 and 2005. He won his first overall World Championship title at the 2008 championships.
Nathan Adrian, who is a hapa of half Chinese descent,[22] is a professional American swimmer and three-time Olympicgold medalist who currently holds the American record in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle (short course) events. He has won a total of fifteen medals in major international competitions, twelve gold, two silver, and one bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships.
In long-distance running, Miki Gorman won the Boston and New York City marathons twice in the 1970s. A former American record holder at the distance, she is the only woman to win both races twice, and is one of only two women to win both marathons in the same year.
Michael Chang was a top-ranked tennis player for most of his career. He was seen as an underdog standing at 5'9 and weighing only 150 pounds. He was the youngest tennis player to be ranked among the five best players in the world.[citation needed] Chang was fifteen years old when he went from juniors to professional. He became the youngest to win a match at the U.S. Open and go to the semifinals. He went pro in 1988 and in 1989, at the age of seventeen, he became the youngest player ever to win the French Open, and the first American to win the event since 1955.[citation needed] Chang gained an estimated $18 million from tournament winnings excluding product endorsements.
Tiger Woods, an Afro-Asian, is the most successful golfer of his generation and one of the most famous athletes in the world. In 1997, at the age of 21, he became the youngest and the first African American to win the U.S. Masters.[28] Woods made his first appearance in the British Open later that year and tied the course record of 64. He won another 13 majors and was named the PGA Player of the Year 10 times over the next 12 years.[28] His most recent major victory was at the 2019 US Masters after many doubted his return. Later that year, Woods won the Zozo Championship to tie Sam Snead's PGA Tour record of 82 victories. Tiger Woods has gained more than $118 million in career earnings and having an estimated net worth of $800 million.
Eric Koston is one of the top street skateboarders and placed first in the 2003 X-Games street competition. Richard Park is a Korean American ice hockey player who currently plays for the Swiss team HC Ambri-Piotta.
Julie Chu, who is three-quarters Chinese and one-quarter Puerto Rican,[30] is an American Olympic ice hockey player who played for the United States women's ice hockey team. She was also the US Olympic Team Flag Bearer for the 2014 Winter Olympic Closing Ceremonies.[31]
Kyle Larson became the first driver of Asian descent to win in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2016. He was also the first Asian to win a NASCAR touring series championship, winning the 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East title.
Charlie Ward Jr. is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Ward was an exceptional college football player as well, winning the Heisman Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award, and College Football National Championship as a quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles.
Wataru Misaka was an American professional basketball player. A 5-foot-7-inch (1.70 m) point guard of Japanese descent, he broke a color barrier in professional basketball by being the first non-white player and the first player of Asian descent to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), known then as the Basketball Association of America (BAA).
Robert Rudolph Balcena was an American professional baseball player. He played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball for the Cincinnati Redlegs during the 1956 season. He had two at-bats and scored two runs as a pinch runner.
The 1964 NBA draft was the 18th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 4, 1964, before the 1964–65 season. In this draft, nine NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players. A player who had finished his four-year college eligibility was eligible for selection. If a player left college early, he would not be eligible for selection until his college class graduated. In each round, the teams select in reverse order of their win–loss record in the previous season. Before the draft, a team could forfeit its first-round draft pick and then select any player from within a 50-mile (80 km) radius of its home arena as their territorial pick. The draft consisted of 15 rounds comprising 101 players selected.
Sports in American Samoa are slightly different from sports in Samoa. The main difference is that Samoans in American Samoa are more likely to follow or play American sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Western Samoans are more likely to follow or play rugby union, rugby league, and netball. Sports such as mixed martial arts, boxing, professional wrestling, and volleyball are popular among most ethnic Samoans regardless of location.
Walter Tin Kit "Sneeze" Achiu was an American football player of Chinese descent. He was a graduate of The Kamehameha Schools and Saint Louis College in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In Taiwan, some of the most popular sports include baseball, basketball, badminton, football, softball, table tennis, tennis, and volleyball. Martial arts such as tai chi and taekwondo are also practiced by many people. International-known athletes include Jeremy Lin, Tai Tzu-ying, Kuo Hsing-chun, Yu Chang, Chien-Ming Wang, Lin Yun-ju, Yang Chuan-kwang, Chou Tien-chen, Hsieh Su-wei, and Yani Tseng among others.
Pablo Prigioni is an Argentine-Italian former professional basketball player, currently serving as an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played the point guard position, and was a member of the senior Argentina national basketball team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Prigioni is the oldest rookie in NBA history, making his debut with the New York Knicks in 2012 at ripe age of 35, prior to which he was a two-time All-EuroLeague selection playing in Europe, most notably Spain. He played four seasons in the NBA for the New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and the Los Angeles Clippers, before starting coaching in 2017.
The main sports played in Samoa are rugby union and rugby league. Other popular sports are netball and soccer. Samoans in American Samoa are more likely to follow or play American sports such as American football, basketball, and baseball. Sports such as mixed martial arts, boxing, professional wrestling, and volleyball are popular among most ethnic Samoans regardless of location.
Sports are a central part of the culture of the Dominican Republic, and have been practiced in the whole country since the native inhabitants were living in the island. Sports play a key role in the culture and makeup of Dominican Republic society. Baseball is the most popular sport on the island country and Major League Baseball has been recruiting players from the Dominican Republic since the 1960s. Basketball, football, volleyball, and boxing are other sports played in the country.
Jeremy Shu-How Lin is a Taiwanese-American professional basketball player for the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the 2011–12 season, sparking a cultural phenomenon known as "Linsanity". Lin was the first American of Chinese or Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA, and is one of the few Asian Americans to have played in the league. He is the first Asian American player to win an NBA championship, having done so with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
Bobby Ray Barbosa Parks Jr. is a Filipino-American professional basketball player who last played for Nagoya Diamond Dolphins of the Japanese B.League. A 6'4" guard, he played college basketball for the NU Bulldogs for three years before declaring for the NBA draft in 2015 where he went undrafted.
The following is a list of notable events that are related to Philippine sports in 2014.
Jordan Taylor Clarkson is an American and Filipino professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for two seasons with Tulsa before transferring to Missouri, where he earned second-team all-conference honors in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). After forgoing his senior year in college to enter the 2014 NBA draft, Clarkson was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round with the 46th overall pick and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Clarkson was traded to the Cavaliers in 2018. In December 2019 he was traded to the Jazz. On March 24, 2015, Clarkson along with Jeremy Lin, became the first Asian-American starting back court in NBA history. In 2021, Clarkson was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
The history of sports in the United States reveals that American football, baseball, softball, and indoor soccer evolved from older British sports—rugby football, British baseball, rounders, and association football, respectively. Over time, these sports diverged significantly from their European origins, developing into distinctly American versions. For example, over time, American football developed its own rules and style, becoming distinctly different from its British predecessor and uniquely American. While baseball's origins can be traced to British bat-and-ball games such as British baseball, its development in the United States also incorporated elements from various other bat-and-ball games. Today, baseball enjoys widespread international popularity, especially in East Asia and Latin America.
1 2 3 4 Beck, Howard (December 28, 2011). "Newest Knick Out to Prove He's Not Just a Novelty". New York Times. Retrieved February 7, 2012. Lin, whose parents are from Taiwan, is the N.B.A.'s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He is the league's fourth Asian American, following Raymond Townsend (Filipino-American), who played for the Warriors (1978–80) and Indiana Pacers (1981–82); Wat Misaka (Japanese-American), who was with the Knicks in 1947–48; and Rex Walters (half Japanese), who played from 1993 to 2000 for the Nets, Philadelphia 76ers and Miami Heat.
↑ "Rex Walters". Men's Basketball. University of San Francisco Athletics. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
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