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Diddy(@iamdiddy) In The NBA Dunk Contest

 

What the GOP Can Learn From Jeremy Lin

What the GOP Can Learn From Jeremy Lin

BY MARC AMBINDER

What can one possibly add to the hill of hype that now surrounds the glorious Jeremy Lin, New York Knickerbocker?

We are fascinated by his rise, but instead of focusing on his talent, which is raw and untested, we fixate upon his race and his biography. Lin's parents came here from Taiwan in the late 70s, settling in California, and he grew up as American as he did Taiwanese, with a quiet but devoted Christianity that marks him as a cultural conservative, and a playfulness and sense of humor that keeps him tethered to the modern world. Implicit within the coverage of Linsanity is the assumption that Lin is so special because he is unusual. But he's not, really. If you've been paying attention to integration of second-generation Asian-Americans into the our political super-culture, he's kind of normal.

Asian-Americans are a unique lot for political folks to categorize, in that they don't tend to identify collectively as one. Korean-Americans in Northern Virginia have different ways of seeing the world than Filipinos in Nevada. (Manny Pacquiao's last-minute endorsement of Harry Reid in the 2010 Senate race may have swung the race to him.) Taiwanese-Americans in Palo Alto are more conservative than Chinese-Americans in New York. It has long been assumed that Latinos would become more Republican as subcultures assimilated into the mainstream, but that hasn't happened. It doesn't seem like it will happen with Asian-Americans either, who, by 2050, will compromise about 8 percent of the U.S. population.

The GOP's association with American Christianity and with upward mobility are enough for Asian-Americans to give that party a look, but the Asian-American vote has become more and more Democratic as the average Asian-American voter has spent a longer amount of time inside the U.S. "On paper, Asians—culturally conservative, family values, entrepreneurship, fiscally conservative, meritocracy—seem tailor-made for Republicans," says Tony Lee, a Korean-American conservative and editor at the publication Human Events. "But, like with Cubans, the younger generation of Asians has not voted as Republican as one may have expected or assumed. "

Another superstar Asian-American athlete, the short-track speedskater Simon Cho, provides a second example. Like most Asian-Americans in their twenties, Cho's parents weren't born in the U.S.; when he was two, they moved to the U.S. from Korea seeking a better life for their children. (They snuck in from Canada and were later naturalized.) Cho turned out to be a prodigy. His parents sacrificed their own economic security so that he could train for the Olympics. At any point—even now—Cho could return to Korea and be a celebrity, getting endorsements, and money. At age 20, though, he chooses to remain in the U.S., because he is an American, pure and simple, even though Americans insist on seeing him as an Asian who happens to be an American. Last weekend, Cho won the World Cup in the men's 500 meter race, despite having literally broken his back last year. In all likelihood, he will race in the Sochi Olympics in 2014, and he is, as of now, the favorite to win the gold, supplanting his mentor Apolo Ohno, as the speedskater's new it-man.

I don't know how Cho will vote next November, but I suspect it won't be for a Republican. Cho has spoken out in favor of compassion for illegal immigrants. He was one, after all. But if Republicans were to rid themselves of their anti-immigrant wing, or if they choose not allow their primaries to be controlled by it, there is no real reason why Asian-Americans can't become a true swing constituency. Their allegiances with the Democratic Party are tenuous. "If Asians vote for Republicans like Jews have traditionally voted for Democrats, Republicans could see many advantages," Lee says. "For that to happen, Asians have to see conservatism as the best way for them to be more integrated and assimilated into the mainstream for themselves and their children, which should not be that hard a sell." Look again at Lin's own story: he faced discrimination as a kid playing on the courts of (even) Palo Alto, and slurs while at Harvard, but because of his superior natural abilities, rose up through the most meritocratic institution in society. There is no affirmative action based on race or last name. If you can't play, you are not going to get on the court. That up-by-the-sneaker-laces narrative is a vital part of Lin's appeal—and the Republican deal.

There's a huge opportunity for Republicans, who will desperately need minority voters in a diversifying America without straying from conservative policies. Right now, they're blowing it. But Democrats would be well-advised to stop treating Asian-Americans as a monolith. The community is too diverse for that these days. They defy typing.

As does Lin. 

photo: Getty Images

 

My Sixers

Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers ran over the Chicago Bulls in 98-82 victory on Wednesday night at Wells Fargo Center.

With two starters out and the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose, under the weather, the Bulls were no match for the reemerging 76ers. The quick, athletic Sixers scored 29 points off of the Bulls 17 turnovers. Philadelphia piled up 21-fast-break points to Chicago’s four. They had more rebounds, more second-chance points and way more energy, particularly in a 26-11 third quarter. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was named the Eastern Conference coach of the month for January, was forced to pull his starters in the fourth and played his reserves the entire period, as they cut a one-time 20-point deficit to 12.

Iguodala outplayed Rose and tortured the Chicago with highlight-after-highlight the entire night. His one-handed dunks, around-the-back passes, and big three’s helped the Sixers pull within one game of the Eastern Conference leading Bulls. Philadelphia confidence was almost blew the roof of the Wells Fargo Center. The sluggish Bulls closed a ragged second quarter in strong fashion to pull with 49-44. Then, they failed to score a field goal for the first 6:29 of the third and committed six turnovers in the period. Iguodala scored nine points in the third as D. Rose went 1-of-5 from the floor as the Chicago missed 13-of-16 shots, as the Sixers held the Bulls to 11 total quarter points. Iggy wowed the crowd on a fast-break when he took the ball behind his back, then tossed a scoop pass, in stride, to the Sixers starting point guard Jrue Holiday for a jumpers and a 58-46 lead. Iguodala’s performance stunned the Bulls as he was connecting from everywhere. Late in the third, the 76ers’ Lou Williams and rookie power forward Lavoy Allen hit consecutive jumpers, and Holiday finished with a 3-pointer to lift Philadelphia to a shocking 75-55 lead. It wasn’t much of a contest after that.

Sixers’ head coach Doug Collins scolded his team after Monday’s victory over the Orlando Magic. He demanded more from his squad after the let a big lead turn into a soft finish. On Wednesday, the 76ers rewarded their coach. The Bulls pulled within 12 points, behind strong play from C.J. Watsonoff the bench, but Thaddeus Young prevented Chicago’s late rally with two straight buckets and Philadelphia’s lead was back up to 15, 92-74. The Sixers never relinquish their lead and put the rest of the Eastern Conference on notice- they’re the real deal.

The 76ers (16-6) had used a soft schedule to race to their best start since the Allen Iverson era. According to ESPN Stats & Info, Philadelphia didn’t win their 16th game last season until Game 39. The Sixers won their fourth straight game and improved to 12-2 at home. Wins against the Magic and the Bulls should silence any detractors around the league who said Philly’s schedule was packed with lightweights from both conferences. Iguodala finished with 19 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Holiday had 17 points and four rebounds, while Young scored 19, Allen had 15 and Williams 14, all made contributions off the bench for the Sixers. Second-year guardEvan Turner finished with two points, six rebounds and four assists. The 76ers beat Orlando on Monday, tamed the Bulls, and will go for the home-week sweep against the Heat on Friday.

The Bulls struggled without Richard Hamilton (right thigh) and Luol Deng (left wrist) in the starting lineup. Surprisingly, Watson led the Bulls with 20 points, four rebounds and four assists off the bench. D. Rose finished with 18 points and six assists, but committed four costly turnovers. Boozer was a non-factor with nine points and nine rebounds. Chicago will play their fourth game in as many nights in New York on Thursday night, when they travel to Madison Square Garden to face Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks.

 

BASKETBALL RETURN CHUTE

$38

The cool SKLZ Shoot-Around is kind of a shooting trainer assistant, basically it is a chute that attaches to the rim and “returns” the ball to the player, meaning, more time shooting, less time chasing! It features a 180-degree rotation system allowing you to practice from all angles on the court. Of course, this product was conceived for a decent basketball player, if you´re worried about missing a lot of shots the Rapid Fire Basketball Training Aid would probably be a better solution for you since it returns both made and missed shots.

Nike Method Concept Putter

     

It's no accident Nike's new putter is as sexy as a sports car. The company's designers say they were inspired by the notion of sleek concept vehicles when creating the Nike Method Concept Putter ($200-$230). With the appearance of a blade but the stability and roll of a mallet, the putter aims to give you a "smoother stroke and a truer roll with far less skid" thanks to the use of a lightweight aluminum face and a high-mass stainless steel body.

Adidas Introduces Samba Golf Footwear

 

This is a hybrid. This is a cross, ah, Samba, Adidas Samba, iconic indoor soccer silhouette, and a stable, modified-for-golf sole. The amazing stuff about this is that you can play 36 holes on it in the afternoon, take it home, and just get stoned to the bejeezus-belt on it that night. And yes, to answer your next question: I know every line from Caddyshack, verbatim.

Available March 1, 2012. $100.

AIR JORDAN 11

 

You might as well get in line now, because when the Air Jordan 11 ($180) hits the streets in two days, it'll sell out instantaneously. Arriving in the iconic black/white/concord colorway, it offers the white nylon upper, black patent leather mid and toebox, carbon fiber plate, and concord purple bottom of the original, only 16 years after its release. Like we said, line up early.

 

Hot App: AntiMap

AntiMap is an open source toolset that lets you record movements with your iPhone or Android phone. Originally developed as a way for snowboarders to record their movements and play the data back like a video game, the toolset was generalized for all outdoor activities.

Simply collect data with your mobile, and then use one of the simple visualizations to see your data or do whatever else you want with it. It's your data. You get latitude, longitude, compass direction, speed, distance, and time, along with an optional input field to mark significant spots.

Thanks Ken!

AntiMap Video application: Unofficial snowboard edit

vimeo.com – Music: The XX - Intro (1984 remix) 

Brandon Jennings - Under the Armour Ep. 7

 

In the season final of Brandon Jennings‘ “Under the Armour” series, he arrives in New York City as part of the “Are You From Here?” tour. Jennings, alongside Kemba Walker, Derrick Williams andGreivis Vasquez hoop across Brooklyn, including a matchup with Sebastian Telfair and Lance Stephenson at Lincoln High School in Coney Island. In between games, Brandon spends some time in the lab with Ryan Leslie and stops by Hot 97.

GRAVIS FOOTWEAR

Filter by Gravis from Gravis Footwear on Vimeo.