I think part of it is also that Yao does not easily fit into any category and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable. He's not Wilt or Russell or Kareem or Dream or especially Shaq. Yao is dramatically different from all those that have come before. His skill set is different from that of any large man in the history of the game. In addition, his flaws in the floor game are perhaps more visible than any of the great centers. His movements are somewhat mechanical, he does get winded, his lack of lateral quickness is evident. All these things we have been conditioned to look for in good to great NBA players... yet here is Yao who is damn good and bordering on great with these flaws... that's incomprehensible to some folks and it rocks their world view if they accept that fact. We'll always have Yao-haters because people will keep trying to put a box around Yao and they will refuse to allow themselves to recognize (and make excuses and create fictions and seize upon anything that buttresses their view... see the Nate "block"... so they are not compelled to recognize) the talent and effort that make Yao truly unique in the fullest sense of the word. After the Dream years, I kept following the Rockets, but never expected to invest as much emotion in them as I did from HS through Dream's retirement. I now find myself getting more into this team than I ever thought possible and a big part of that is because Yao is so special... and I think from a fan's perspective, his flaws make him all the more compelling a figure to cheer on and support.
That's why I gave it a laugh face guy - just jokin', and I'm with you on this, and I agree about his stubborness - I'm not bald at all but this coach is gonna make me bald!
asians are suppose to be good at books, blacks good at sports. this kind of racism is found everywhere. given a choice, how many here would trust their lives with a black surgeon vs any other race??
I would. Black people have great motor skills. Just kidding... But why wouldn't you trust a black surgeon? It's extremely difficult to be a surgeon, so whatever race a surgeion is, as long as they are qualified and experienced, why wouldn't you feel safe.
well there is a litlte thing that still goes on and its called affirmative action.. where as blacks, hispanics, etc can get in Ivy league or top universities soley becuase hte university wants diversity and needs to make a quota.. . asians/whites get the short end of the stick.. they can be wayy smartere than their black/hispanic counterparts and not get accepted.. ehh go figure.. oh well
Affirmative action effect is overrated. People who get into these schools-- be it through affirmative action, family connection, grades, or great personal statements still have to graduate and pass the certification exams and do a competent job. I just passed the bar exam and have been working as an associate at a highly regarded (and highly paid) law firm in NYC. We have attorneys from all kind of law schools with all kinds of different backgrounds. Frankly, without looking at their resume, I can't tell which ones are from Brooklyn Law School and which are from Columbia. The ones who went to the highly regarded schools (and likely had the better LSAT score) are not always best at their job.
Yao always gets the short end of the stick. At first, I didn't want to buy into the "Oh, it's because he's Chinese" argument. However, more than four years into his career, I continue to find much of the criticism he receives to be both inexplicable and unjustified, not to mention often inaccurate, especially coming from hacks such as Charles Barkley who freely admitted on TNT that it was the first time he watched the Rockets play all season, and yet proceeded to bash not only Yao but also his superstar teammate and the whole team. At this point, the only explanation remaining as to why Yao is so unfairly criticized by many in the MSM (many of whom rarely if ever watch the Rockets play) is that it's largely driven by 'prejudice' and stereotyping of Asians in our society, and perhaps some sort of 'resentment' that a Chinese guy has taken over what was -- and some day will be again -- one of the most respected and revered titles in basketball over the past decades: the best center in the league. If you notice, not so subtly, the media has continued to 'prop up' his competition (i.e. Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh, Omeka Okafor, etc) while continuing to ignore Yao's dominance at his position, almost as if they are rooting for someone else to step up and knock him off the top.
Perhaps not in an MBA program, or maybe even undergrad (though most universities have a signficant attrition rate). However, have you ever been to law school or med school or done a PhD? Most of my friend in law school work extremely hard to get the degree, to pass the bar, and now to be good at their job.
Yao's going to have to shatter a backboard, and spit glass at the opposing bench, to get any respect. He'll then have to grab his nuts while standing over his latest victim, and drop a couple F-bombs on live TV. That's a start.
I have known coasters at all levels and degrees. They may not pass the bar on the first try but they do at some point. At certain schools - you have to really try to fail.
Didn't we all hear Chucky "the idiot" Ass-kisser say oh those were not dominating 26 pts? Guys, Yao now has to score the right kind of pts ... has anything here heard any black reporter or commentator saying anything nice about Yao? Just curious.
Yao's going to have to go to a comedy club, get heckled... Nope, really bad idea. The only time he'll get respect is when he wins a championship. And then the naysayers will jump on the bandwagon and say "Yao finally became the player we were waiting for." And by 'waiting' they mean 'expected to fail miserably but we've run out of excuses to downplay him and now we have to eat our words, but Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudamire are still in a league waaaay above Yao until the end of time ok goodbye.'
