The benefits of team sports go on long after the game is over.
Ever since I could dribble a basketball, I dreamt of gracing the courts of the NBA. With every game and every victory, I felt destined for greatness. But reality has a funny way of rearing its head, doesn’t it?
My parents, pragmatic as ever, nudged me towards more “realistic” pursuits. After all, being both Chinese and vertically challenged didn’t exactly stack the odds in my favor. They urged me to channel my energy into something more attainable—like playing the piano.
Fast-forward a decade, and I’m far from the hardwood hero I once envisioned. Those NBA dreams? They fizzled out quicker than a missed layup.
These days, sinking a couple of shots in a college rec league game is about as close as I get to the big leagues.
Sure, I often wonder what might have been if I’d poured my heart into piano or another “Asian-approved” endeavor like badminton. But deep down, I’m grateful I stuck with basketball.
As mentioned on USA Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) found in a recent study that about 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by age 13. Why? I think you can guess. Some adults can take the FUN out of sports.
The Value of Team Sports and Then Some
In team sports, there’s a camaraderie. It’s a sense of shared purpose that’s hard to find elsewhere. It’s about shouldering the expectations of your teammates, your coach, your parents, and striving towards a common goal. (Fun! Don’t forget the fun!) These lessons in teamwork and perseverance are invaluable, ones that solitary pursuits can’t always teach. But the value goes beyond the team. For the individual, it means:
- Physical wellness: It builds strength, improves stamina, and enhances sleep.
- Emotional Wellness: It provides feel-good hormones that improve mood.
- Mental Wellness: It increases creativity and cognitive performance.
- Social Wellness: It’s an opportunity to get out of that room and make friends.
Guiding Our Children on the Court and Off It
As parents, our role isn’t to dictate our children’s futures; it’s to show them the many possibilities that lie before them and let them choose their own path.
Whether they choose the court, the canvas, or the concert hall, what matters most is that they find fulfillment through the experiences they have. So, let’s lace up our sneakers, tune our pianos, and cheer them on every step of the way.
We should encourage our children to pursue their passions. They may seem impractical, but doing so teaches them resilience, perseverance, and the true meaning of success.
It’s about finding joy in the process. Sports can be a part of that joy. (So, Dad? Mom? While you’re in the stands just cheer and applaud whether I win or lose, okay?)
A Reflection on My Experience
Looking back, I often wonder what might have been if I had pursued a different path. After dedicating 15 years to playing basketball, I haven’t yet achieved that standout moment I once dreamed of. No game-winning shots on national TV and no championship titles to showcase.
But you know what? That’s perfectly fine.
What I have gained is far richer than any accolade. I possess a treasure trove of cherished memories: those electrifying buzzer-beaters at the local park that seemed to freeze time, the exhilarating moments when I outmaneuvered my opponents with a deft move, and the awe-struck faces of friends and family witnessing my highs and lows.
More than that, I’ve had the immense joy of inspiring a new generation of casual players, encouraging them to love the game as much as I do.
These experiences are my real victories. Every missed shot and every grueling practice session has contributed to a profound sense of fulfillment and growth.
They have shaped who I am and taught me valuable lessons about perseverance, joy in the journey, and the true essence of success. Each memory, whether of triumph or challenge, has added depth to my life, making the journey worthwhile and infinitely rewarding.
The Cultural Divide: Asian Americans and Sports
My personal journey stands in stark contrast to the broader cultural narratives about Asian Americans and sports. Why are Asian kids often perceived as unathletic? It’s a question that many are hesitant to ask, but it’s rooted in cultural expectations and values.
The reason Jeremy Lin stirred up such significant waves of “Linsanity” is clear evidence of the rarity of famous Asian American athletes. Another prominent American athlete with Asian heritage is Tiger Woods. Despite being half Asian, most Americans identify him as black.
According to NCAA stats from the 2015-16 school year, there were only 14 Asian-American men’s basketball players out of the 5,472 total players in Division I. In football, there were 115 out of 28,380 players. In baseball, there were 89 Asian players out of 10,430.
Among these top 3 sports in the U.S., Asian Americans represent less than 1% of all players, even though they represent 10.4% of total college students in the U.S.
Cultural Values and Athletic Participation
To understand the paucity of Asian-American professional athletes, we need to dig deeper into the cultural differences regarding the value of athleticism between Asian and American cultures.
Education Over Sports: Asian Americans place a vigorous emphasis on education, often considering sports to be a non-academic “distraction.” Sports are seen as a risky choice where invested efforts may or may not translate into future success, whereas education is almost a guaranteed path to steady jobs and great pay.
Sports Are Not Considered Prestigious: In Asia, sports programs are mostly funded by the government, and athletes are considered government employees with average but steady pay. This perception affects Asian Americans’ view of sports, leading them to gravitate toward sports like golf, fencing, and archery because of their “prestige” appeal.
Athleticism Doesn’t Translate into Leadership: In most Western cultures, athleticism is seen as an important part of leadership. Many American companies prefer hiring student athletes for managerial roles, believing that sports participation results in valuable leadership and teamwork skills. This is not the case in Asian culture, where leaders are judged by their education level, knowledge base, or artistic skills, but never athleticism.
The Generational Divide
To illustrate the contrast between traditional and evolving views on sports within the Chinese-American community, let me introduce Patty Law, whose experience growing up in Chinatown highlights the generational divide within the Chinese-American community regarding sports.
As a child, her extracurricular activity was manual labor, working in a sweatshop with her mother.
Her parents didn’t believe in letting her play team sports. On the other hand, her future husband, Tom Law, pursued his passion for basketball, joining any playground pickup game he could find.
Together, the Laws now run basketball organizations that serve Chinese-American girls and boys in Manhattan. Their childhood experiences reflect two prevailing views among Chinese-Americans regarding the role of sports in a child’s upbringing.
One view, common among first-generation, working-class Chinese-Americans, maintains that team sports are an unnecessary impediment to academic and professional achievement. The opposite view, typically held by more educated parents or those assimilated into American culture, promotes sports as an integral part of a child’s maturation.
The Pressure to Excel Academically
For many immigrant families, starting over in a new country is not just about the move. Every effort, every long shift, and every sacrifice is often made with the hope of giving their children the life they never had.
Academic success becomes the bedrock of this dream, the golden ticket that promises security and success. Parents pour their all into ensuring their kids excel in school, believing that academic success is the surest route to stability and respect.
In this context, sports can feel like an unnecessary luxury—just one more thing that takes precious time away from the path forward.
Yet, if we look closer, sports offer something that academics alone can’t. They bring joy and belonging, a chance for kids to be kids. They create moments of laughter, challenge, and growth that don’t exist within the walls of a classroom.
Through sports, children learn what it’s like to fall and get back up, to trust in others, to push their own limits, and to celebrate the beauty of small wins. These experiences, though seemingly unimportant, build qualities that academics alone can’t always nurture.
It’s not easy to strike this balance as parents, especially when so much rests on our children’s futures.
But embracing both school and play can be one of the greatest gifts we give them.
By encouraging them to explore their interests in sports and academics alike, we show them that they are valued for who they are, not just what they achieve. In time, they’ll carry forward the strength, confidence, and resilience that come from knowing they were supported in every way—and that they are capable of taking on whatever life holds.
Scoring Big Beyond the Field
Sports can be a strange but powerful force in a child’s growth, bringing benefits that go beyond just physical health—they touch on emotions, thoughts, and even how kids connect with others. In some Asian American communities, sports might be seen through a particular lens, shaped by values that prioritize other pursuits. But sports have their own magic, offering something distinct and irreplaceable.
When kids are encouraged to throw themselves into their passions—whether it’s sports, music, or something totally out there—they get a chance to toughen up, stick with things, and feel the strange satisfaction that comes from diving deep into something just for the joy of it.
By backing our kids in whatever interests light them up, we give them room to find out who they are and what makes them tick. Whether they make their mark in academics, on the field, or somewhere unexpected, the moments they collect and the odd, wonderful lessons they learn will stay with them, woven into who they are.
