“Linsanity” has to do with skill

Linsanity+has+to+do+with+skill

by Tyler Craig

If you haven’t heard of Jeremy Lin in the last month, you’ve probably been living under a rock. Here‘s a quick bio about his journey to becoming one of the biggest names in the NBA. The Jeremy Lin story is truly rags to riches.

Lin received no scholarship offers coming out of high school, then decided to walk on at the prestigious Harvard University.

After having a decorated career at Harvard and breaking many records, Lin entered the NBA draft. Lin went undrafted, but found a spot on an NBA Development League team. After being passed up by a couple teams this year, Lin found himself a spot on the Knicks.

Lin was first assigned to the Knicks D-League, but in early February luck soon turned in his favor. Because of injury Lin found himself in the starting lineup. Once in the starting lineup Lin made the most of the opportunity, putting up huge numbers while leading the Knicks on a winning streak.

Lin has continued to play well and has become a media sensation. Many people are putting their two cents in on Lin whether that’s positive or negative.

Lin never asked for the spotlight the media gave him, but it comes with the territory when playing in New York. Soon after his success, the phrase “Linning” was born.

“Linning” is a mutant of Charlie Sheen’s “winning” and can really be used to describe anything. The term “Linning” has blown up overnight on Facebook and Twitter.

The word given to this frenzy by the media is “Linsanity”. It‘s safe to say fans have an infatuation with Lin that rivals that of Tim Tebow. Heck, Lin even has a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor named after him. Lin has America’s attention, but with that attention comes criticism.

Some people feel that Lin is just a flash in the pan and his early success can only be attributed to luck. Others feel that the success is due to an easy schedule and his game has many flaws that he will be unable to overcome.

The Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony was hurt when the “Linsanity” first started and some believe that once he is at full strength his play will go down, thus signaling the end of the fad.

Many of Lin’s “haters” believe that people are only obsessed with Lin because of his ethnicity. Lin is of Asian descent and one of the few players in the NBA of Asian heritage.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. posted a tweet stating that the only reason he is getting media attention is because he is Asian. Mayweather later apologized for this tweet, but the damage was already done prompting further discussion on this topic.

As a sports fan I love to see stories like this and always have a soft spot for the underdog. Lin has worked hard for his success and nothing has come easy for him in his career as a basketball player. The thing I like about Lin the most is how humble he is. The early success has not gotten to Lin’s head and he hasn’t said one negative thing about anyone.

The world of professional sports is littered with athletes that love boosting their ego. Lin stays humble in every interview I have seen him do and contributes his success to his teammates and coaches.

From what I’ve seen this far, Lin seems like the real deal and will be able to play in the NBA for some time. I do not think he will be able to sustain huge scoring numbers like he is now, but think it’s great that the media is able to celebrate his success.

It’s ridiculous to think that the media craze behind Lin is only due to the fact that he is Asian. “Linsanity” is due to the fact that Lin was able to reach his goals through hard work and determination.