By Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Left: On August 6, in the women’s volleyball semifinal between Serbia and the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Justin Wang-Orantes was hugged by his teammates after the team defeated Serbia.
The Olympics may be over, and many people celebrate that the United States has won the most gold medals, as well as the total number of medals. Asian American athletes have won two gold medals and several silver and bronze medals and performed well. However, a disturbing trend still lingers in my mind…
Have you noticed that there are not many Asian Americans in the US team? Of the 622 members, fewer than 15 are Asian Americans. This is about 2%. Among them, only one is team sports, and the rest are individual performances, such as gymnastics, badminton, karate, golf, swimming and so on.
Asian Americans have to be accepted not only in the Olympics, but also in general sports. What are the obstacles? There are many black athletes in the American team. They have won medals in different categories. I am proud of them. I hope that Asian Americans will have more opportunities in the sports field. Unable to participate in team sports such as basketball, football, softball, lacrosse, baseball and volleyball, what will the Asian community miss?
Wait, I take it back. The only Asian American to participate in Olympic team sports is Justin Wang Orantes. She and her team won the women’s volleyball gold medal. Seeing her excellent return in the last match against Brazil, I was ecstatic. As we all know, Wong-Orantes is one of the best positions in the country. The point is, how can we have more than one Wong-Orantes? How can we train more young Asian Americans to have lofty dreams in sports?
But the real question is, why don’t more Asian American children participate in group sports? One obvious reason is the lack of role models. So far, I can only name one Asian American NBA star, Jeremy Lin. There are several famous baseball players, but they are Asian nationals imported from Japan and South Korea. Samo American Tua Tagovailoa and Filipino American Doug Baldwin are both successful NFL players. Currently in the NFL are Younghoe Koo, who is the main player of the Atlanta Falcons; Josh Jacobs (Filipino), the running back of the Las Vegas Raiders; and Tyler Rapp (Chinese), the Los Angeles Rams and Former Huskies security guard. I only watch sports when there are Asian American players. Does this tell franchise owners to expand their market by adding Asian Americans to their team is just a good thing?
The stereotyped view is that Asian Americans are not big enough or high enough for these major American sports. But the root cause is racism. I bet that if Asian American youth are given opportunities, inspiration and training, they will be as promising as other athletes.
Over the past ten years, I have observed that Sounders, Seahawks and Mariners have increased their Asian American fan base, as many people pass by the Chinatown International District to eat and shop before and after the game. Some fans take their children to the game, although the tickets are expensive. Don’t tell me that none of these kids desire to play for these teams. If parents encourage them, children may think more about these occupations.
To some extent, the problem lies with Asian parents. They tend to influence their children to pursue high-paying careers instead of pursuing their passions. If their children dream of playing for the Mariners, I bet their mothers will say, “Son, you will never succeed.” They will most likely tell their daughters, “No girl can succeed in a baseball game.” Wrong. ! In November last year, Jin Ng became the first female and highest-level female baseball executive of the Miami Marlins. She broke the barriers of gender and race. According to Wikipedia, her passion for baseball began when she was playing baseball on the street when her father was a coach. She also played college softball for four years.
I must admit that I am one of the typical Asian parents who were not very keen on my son’s participation in sports when he was a child. Like many Asian immigrant parents, I am old school. Subconsciously, I let my children pay too much attention to their studies. If I can come back, sports will become an important aspect of their school life.
Justin Wang-Orantes pools the ball in the Women’s Volleyball Preliminary Group B match against Turkey.
(AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want children to play sports with the goal of becoming an Olympian. Not everyone can become Kwan Yingshan or Ohno Apollo. I don’t appreciate how the media play the medal game, allowing one country to compete with another: which country has the most gold medals? I also don’t like the emphasis on gold medals by China or Japan. Those who won silver or bronze medals took home nothing—no bonuses, publicity, commercial endorsements, or public celebrations. In Japan, the second and third-placed athletes had to apologize publicly, which “humiliated” the country. This is the pressure and humiliation of athletes who failed to reach the top. How unfair! Many of them have dedicated and sacrificed most of their youth in training for the game.
Countries that refuse to pay tribute to athletes who have not won medals are short-sighted. Participating in the Olympics is an honor because these athletes represent their country as goodwill ambassadors and show the best of the country.
We can teach our children to participate in sports to be proud of their participation, not to emphasize winning or losing. Have fun first and make friends, the result is secondary. Participating in team sports can develop character and skills. Through collaboration and cooperation, you will learn to be part of a team. Studies have found that people who participate in sports can better cope with stress and feel happy. Getting along well with others is an asset. You can develop sportsmanship, strategy and leadership skills at the same time. Children can also establish lifelong friendships with teammates. The benefits of team sports to children’s physical and mental development cannot be underestimated.
If you are one of those parents who discourage your child from participating in sports, please think again. We need to change our perception of the role of education and redefine great professions. Learning goes beyond books and grades. Books can’t teach, but sports can. It teaches athletes to be confident, take risks, and not be afraid of making mistakes.
It is too late for me to raise a child now. However, for the younger generation, it is never too late to reconsider what is best for their sons and daughters. Talk to them and expand your and their horizons. You will be surprised at what you both can find. You never know-you might train future Jeremy Lin, Doug Baldwin, and even future mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell, who won the Rose Bowl in 1978 when he played for the University of Wisconsin Huskies football team. ν
Assunta can be reached assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
