Despite stereotypes describing Asians as being inherently worse at sports, Asian-Americans have contributed to much of the athletic success in the United States. From basketball to figure skating, each sport has seen its notable Asian-American athletes. For example, Tiger Woods, a professional golfer who many people consider the greatest of all time because of his dominance against the competition of his era, was one-quarter Thai and one-quarter Chinese. Whilst people may not immediately recognize him as Asian-American, his success is still a part of Asian-American success in athletics. Together, his successful career consists of strong performances in major championships, a category in which he has the second most wins, only behind the great Jack Nicklaus, and a dominant performance in PGA tournaments, with 82 wins, tying Sam Snead’s record. The particularly notable aspect of dominance was the unfathomable gap between him and the rest of the tour players during his time as a player. He won multiple tournaments with unbelievably large margins between him and the second-place player. One of the most renowned examples of this dominance was Woods’ performance at the 2000 U.S. Open, where won by a record-setting 15 strokes.
Outside of golf, sports like basketball have also seen Asian-Americans find great success. In 2012, Taiwanese-American basketball phenom Jeremy Lin went on an unexpected run of high-scoring games that led to a seven-game win streak and a resurgence for the New York Knicks, who were facing a difficult season. While he is most well-known for his unexpected performance on the Knicks, which is known as “Linsanity,” Lin continued playing on other teams and scoring points, despite his performance declining over time from its highs on the Knicks. His meteoric rise inspired the Asian-American community, giving them someone to look up to and someone they could aspire to become.
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Similarly, in the world of figure skating, Kristi Yamaguchi, who is a third-generation descendant of Japanese immigrants, found major successes in her career. Most notably, she became the first Asian-American to win a gold medal at a Winter Olympics, as she won gold in the women’s singles Albertville 1992 Winter Olympics. She also was a two time champion at the World Championships in 1991 and 1992 with successes even as a junior at the World Junior Championships, too. Her achievements paved the way for future Asian-American success in figure skating, as in the years to come, many successful Asian-American figure skaters began to emerge.
While these are some of the Asian-American athletes who have found success in their athletic careers, there are still many more who deserve more recognition for their accomplishments than they already have. The contributions of Asian Americans in the American sports scene have been crucial, and as the world continues to develop, it is likely that such a trend will continue to grow, providing Asian-American children with role models to look up to in their athletic endeavors.