Jeremy Lin, who one year ago was a benchwarmer for the
Golden State Warriors and seemingly had no future as a professional basketball,
is now a part of a very prominent list of individuals that includes Warren
Buffest, Barak Obama, Matt Lauer and who else, Tim Tebow. It is Time’s ninth
annual Top 100 Most Influential People in the World list, and Lin has the
distinguished honor of being named with such amazing people in the world today.
The people on this list are not just the most widely known
individuals in the world, but they are people who can change lives and evoke
emotions just with their actions or words, and the fact that Lin is among them
is not just a testament to his play as a basketball player, but his ability to
influence others to act as he has.
The three-paragraph blurb on Lin’s inclusion in the list
begins with the central theme of his greatness. Arne
Duncan, who is the U.S. Secretary of Education, says “Jeremy Lin's story is a great lesson for
kids everywhere because it debunks and defangs so many of the prejudices and
stereotypes that unfairly hold children back.” All this is true. Jeremy Lin has
done the unthinkable, and now he has the power (and the ability) to transform
not only the NBA but also the misconceptions and stereotypes that surround
basketball.
What this list
means for Jeremy Lin’s future goes way beyond his marketability and NBA career.
He can now do what few have been given the change to do: change the way people
think. Schemas have caused society to associate Asian and Asian Americans with
good grades and computers, not sports. The fact that Lin has received this
honor by his play on the court and not anywhere else also proves that he has a
bright future as a humanitarian and life-changer.
Duncan finishes by
saying “I don't care whether you are an Asian-American kid, white, black or
Hispanic, Jeremy's story tells you that if you show grit, discipline and
integrity, you too can get an opportunity to overcome the odds.” Lin can prove
to the world that your race does not define you as an athlete, and certainly
not as a person.
-Tyler Greenawalt
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