Basket Case: Framing the Intersection of “Linsanity” and Blackness

Abstract

In early 2012, sports columnists and opinion writers explicitly discussed the racial significance of “Linsanity,” when Jeremy Lin, an undrafted Taiwanese-American point guard, became an overnight sensation in the overwhelmingly Black National Basketball Association. This textual analysis found that commentary used four frames to describe Lin in the context of Black America: (a) an oddity and underdog; (b) a reminder of racism; (c) a pioneer and agent of change; and (d) an antidote to Blackness. The race of the commentator was a factor in frame use and counter-framing. Overall, though, the frames highlighted the differences between Asian Americans and Blacks, not their shared struggle as underrepresented groups. In doing so, the frames illustrate hegemony's grip over Asian Americans and Blacks in their struggle for cultural acceptance —on and off the sports field.

KEYTERMS:

• African Americans
• Asian Americans
• commentary
• framing
• hegemony
• sports