Tuesday, February 14, 2012

"Linsanity" Brightens up Dull Sports Season

     There has been little to write about in the sports world over the past few weeks. The Super Bowl came and went, ending the season that most sports fans care about. We now find ourselves in sort of a sports lull. There is not much that goes on until March Madness begins in a few weeks. Sure, the NBA and NHL seasons are in full swing, but does anyone really beleive that those regular season games mean anything?

     Suddenly, an unknown, undrafted, asian-american kid out of Harvard has captivated the sports world over the last week. New York Knicks pointguard, Jeremy Lin erupted on the sports scene by scoring an NBA record 109 points in his first four starts. Something not even Kobe, Michael, or Shaq could do.

    This story would probably not make it on the radar of the average sports fan if not for the backstory of Jeremy Lin. He graduated from Harvard (not a typical producer of NBA superstars), spent last year in the minor leagues of professional basketball, and was cut by both Golden State and Houston this season. Lin is also the first american born, asian player to make it into the NBA.

    The struggling Knicks signed Lin to fill out their bench as a reserve. Last week he was thrust into action due to injury and other circumstances. All Lin did was put up historical numbers and help the Knicks to five straight wins.

     "Linsanity" has overtaken New York and has now become a national story. It doesn't hurt that he is doing all of this in the biggest media market in the country. Lin's #17 jersey wasn't even produced two weeks ago. It is now the highest selling Knicks jersey and highest selling NBA jersey of the week.

          American sports fans have always loved a good underdog story. Jeremy Lin is the epitome of what an underdog in sports is. In a weeks time he has gone from struggling to make his dream a reality, to the king of New York City.

      By March, the NCAA tournament and Spring Training will be the the main thing on the minds of fans. The Jeremy Lin story will probably be a distant memory. But for now, it's a great way to get through the humdrum of the winter sports season.
    
*As I was posting this on Tuesday night "Linsanity" continued to grow. Lin hit a game winning three with 0.5 seconds left to give the Knicks their 6th straight win. -Simply Amazing