Somehow Jeremy Lin has captured the imagination of the sports world these two weeks. I see stories about him everywhere. My friends are posting about him on Facebook. The people I follow (like @jack_welch) are tweeting about him on Twitter. He is on the front page of ESPN, TSN, and newspapers (especially Asian ones). My friends went to watch him play live in Toronto on Tuesday. My dad forwarded me an email about him. A reporter from the Vancouver Sun called me yesterday to ask me why I had Linsanity (it was very timely, because I had just finished writing this article when he called). I even dreamed about him the other night.
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Come to think of it, I may be more excited about Jeremy Lin than I am about my beloved home team Vancouver Canucks. It shocks me to admit that. Those that know me know that I am a big Canucks fan. So why? Why am I compelled to read every article and watch every video I can find about Jeremy Lin? Why am I excited to watch every game he is playing? Why do I keep talking and posting about him? As I pondered these questions, I came up with 10 reasons why his story is so appealing.
1. He’s an underdog. We all like cheering for the underdog, the player or team that is coming from behind and doesn’t have much of a chance to win. Jeremy (I’m just going to call him by his first name – I’d like to think that if we ever met, he’d ask me to call him “Jeremy”) is the only Asian-American in a sport dominated by African-Americans. He’s the only NBA player that is a graduate of Harvard. He was cut from several other NBA teams before he got a chance to play in New York. He was even sleeping on his brother’s couch until last week. Jeremy has beat many odds to make it as a starting point guard in the NBA.
2. He’s successful. We are all drawn to success. Especially unexpected success. The New York Knicks had 8 wins and 15 losses before Jeremy started playing. Since then, they have won 7 games in a row. The statistics for Jeremy’s first 5 starts are better than every other NBA player in the past 30 years (including Michael Jordan, Lebron, Kobe, and Shaq).
3. He’s got a flair for the dramatic. We like drama. It’s entertaining. Did you see the 3-pointer he scored with 0.5 seconds left to win the game against the Toronto Raptors? Did you see his team come back to win the game in the 4th quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves? (see game highlights) Did you see him outscore Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers last week? (game highlights) And the 4 sweet alley-oop passes he made last night against Sacramento? (game highlights) It doesn’t hurt that the NBA schedule this season is so compressed, and we get to see J-Lin play 3-4 times a week. We don’t have to wait long for our next Jeremy fix. Forbes wrote an article comparing Jeremy Lin to an economic stimulus package, estimating that he will bring an extra $10-$20 million to the New York Knicks franchise and $20-$40 million to the NBA this year.
4. He’s humble. We like athletes (and people) that are humble, and dislike the proud and arrogant ones. In all his interviews he gives credit to his teammates and his coach. He gives credit to God. He’s thankful for the opportunity he’s getting. He’s not letting the success and attention get to his head. When asked which one of the endless nicknames he likes best (Linsanity, Lintense, Linderella, ShaoLin, Va-Lin-tine, etc, etc), he simply replied, “Jeremy”. [see ESPN’s top 10 Jeremy Lin nicknames]
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5. He makes the people around him better. His teammates have been energized since he started playing. They are playing better offense and better defense. They believe in themselves. Even when they have been behind by a dozen points at the end of the game, they fought back to win. Jeremy has averaged over 24 points/game (over the last 7 games), but he has also averaged 9 assists per game. He passes the ball.
6. He’s a bit of a nerd. Did I mention he’s a Harvard graduate? What a geek. But we like geeks and this is a culture that values education. His intelligence will help him continue to be successful in the future.
7. He works hard. He’s in tip-top shape. And that’s because he’s spent this entire year working hard to improve his stamina. He didn’t have many opportunities to play earlier in the year, but he worked hard and prepared himself so that he’d be ready when his time came. And it’s paid off.
8. He’s having fun doing what he loves. It’s fun seeing people doing what they love. I have this image in my head of Jeremy sticking out his tongue and smiling after he hit a 3-pointer in the game against Utah Jazz. He also created this hilarious “5 Steps to Getting into Harvard” video on Youtube.
9. He’s likeable. His teammates like him. The media likes him. We like him. For all the reasons I wrote about and more. Did you see teammate Landry Fields give Jeremy a kiss during the post-game interview on Tuesday? And did you see how Jeremy sheepishly smiled afterwards? Teammate Carmelo Anthony’s 4-year old son has also become a Jeremy Lin fan. He recently asked his father to say, “What’s up?” to Lin.
10. We see a little bit of ourselves in him. We can relate to Jeremy. Many of my Asian friends relate to his Asian-ness. Many of my Christian friends relate to his strong faith in God. And we all want our story to be like his. Secretly, every one of us wants to be discovered. We’re waiting for an opportunity to shine. We’re hoping to be acknowledged for the talents that we have. We want to be the underdog that beats the odds and succeeds. That’s why we keep rooting for Jeremy Lin. That’s the biggest reason Jeremy’s story is so appealing.
I hope Jeremy continues to play well and succeed. I’m excited to see what will happen.
Are you a Jeremy Lin fan? If so, why?