From: wung@eecom.gatech.edu (Peter Wung)
Subject: Re: AA & sports Re: Media Stereotypes: The Sol
Reply-To: wung@eecom.gatech.edu
Organization: School of EE, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 00:11:27 GMT

In article 20389@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com, lam@popeye.comm.mot.com (Dan Lam) writes:
>|In article <1993Jan8.030449.23014@mcshub.dcss.mcmaster.ca> yu@physun.physics.mcmaster.ca (Frank F. Yu) writes:
>|>So far there are few asian Americans making a living out of major 
>|>professional sports. It's understandable in football and basketball,
>|>for they require strength and height.
>| 
>|Well some AAs do have the height and strenght.  An AA friend of my used
>|to play H. S. football (some affluent Chicago burb).  However he had to
>|quit during his sr. year due to some parental presure.  I can understand
>|how he parents feel cos as a fb player he could be quite injury prone.
>|>
>|>And there are so many AA I know who like to play tennis. Is this
>|>because of Michael Chang? If it is, I think asian Americans are in
>|>serious need of some sports heroes of their own.
>|
>|I noticed that a lot of AA parents dont encourage their kids to
>|excellll in sprot as much as they do encourage them to do well in music.
>|I don't mean to generalize anything thing here, just my observations.
>|I always wonder in those west coast schools w/ large AA pop., are there
>|many AAs playing college sports?  (you folks fr. Cal, please comment).
>|

Well, I think a lot of asian parents think of music, specifically classical music, 
as a way of becoming more westernized, i.e. they have bought the whole package of 
western culture being THE most civilized culture if you want to get ahead. I 
don't think my parents ever wanted me to be a concert violinist, but I was forced to learn the violin at a young age.  Even though I was too undisciplined 
and my short fingers kept me from having any real success at the violin, I did 
gain an appreciation for western classical music, an appreciation that I do NOT have for classical asian music.  My classical music bent does not preclude me from 
listening to Led Zeppelin or Nirvana, however.


>|Michael Chang is great.  There is also "the Satos" in the national
>|volleyball teams (Eric and Leanne Sato) and another JA in the women
>|team.  She played in the last Olympics but I forgot her name (Hey Peter
>|you can help me out).  These AAs could be good role models for those kids
>|who
>|like volleyball. 
>|

OK, the woman you are talking about is Yoko Sutterlund (SP?)  She was the US
setter in the first match of the Olympics because Lori Endicott was ill.  She
did a pretty nice job.  She did not grow up in the US, however.  Her mom married
an american and came to live in the US.  Yoko was born here but moved to Japan when she was barely two years old.  She received most of her training in Japan.  She was a
terrific setter for the Japaness junior team until she decided to come to the US to tryout, taking advantage of her dual citizenship.  Her english is spotty at best
when she came here but she is doing much better now.  She is a step above the third
string setter, but is still behind Endicott, mainly because the Japanese teaches
a different style of setting that horrifies the american volleyball establishment.
She has had to relearn how to set from scratch.  So, any other volleyball questions?


>|The Olympic victories and the AA presence inspired
>|me to pick up volleyball back in 1984.  I have met many wonderful people
>|playing volleyball.  However there seems to be a lack of AA participation
>|in this sport (at least in the Chicago area).  Is this because of the
>|recall reading one article here where some Standford AAFs commented
>|about not wanting to date AAMs who do problem sets, play volleyball, and
>|listen to Erasure ...).
>|I am surprised to hear such a comment especially from Standford AAFs.
>|Because Standford has a very good volleyball program (UCLA also).  Those
>|Standford AAF (the ones making comment) must be out of touch ....
>|Most Vball players have to work hard (ie many hours at the gyms) to stay
>|fit to be competitive players.  AAs have to train harder due to height
>|(average) disadvantage.  So AA Volleyball players are certainly not wimps.
>|(check out those prof. beach players, oh I forgot to mention Lucy Han,
>|she is a 5-2 AA and a great defensive player)
>|

Not to mention Liz Masakayan, formerly of the national team and presently a hot 
property on the beach.  Debbie Green (USC and the 1984 Olympic Team) is also an
AA.  I think Long Beach State also has a front row player from Japan.  Jen-Kai
Liu of USC was also a great outside hitter from Taiwan, until he blew out his 
knee his junior year.

>|So what sports/activities do you AAs out htere play/participate?
>|
>|Dan
>|
>|ps:  thanks for reading.  finally get to talk about my favorite subject

I thought AAs dominate 6' and under league play in the west coast for volleyball.
One caucasian male friend who graduated from Stanford commented to me about how
all the AAs he know all took music lessons and can play a mean game of tennis. 
We then sat and talked about how these activities are essentially individual
activities, where a lot of individual hard work involved.  Then we spoke about Tiffany Chen, Kristi Yamaguchi, Michael Chang, and other AAs who are in individual type 
sports and how that really reflects the AA stereotype of being hard working loners
who would prefer to take our chances with themselves and not really rely on anyone
else.  A very long discussion ensued about how valid all this talk was.  It certainly
does raise a great deal of questions about how we were brought up and whether our
recreational choices truly reflects our work ethic.  Any comments?


---
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*Peter Wung			Email:wung@ee.gatech.edu	   * 
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*School of Electrical Engineering	    Atlanta, GA 30332      *
*Georgia Institute of Technology			    	   *
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*  	Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad for a short, fat guy. 	   *
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.asian.american