LinSanity

I'm a huge sports fan. In my mind sports is a collection of stories. The athletes are the characters, good guys and villians (yes, Lebron, you) abound. Each game/series has exposition, rising action, a climax, and resolution. The settings of sporting events are incredibly varied and vibrant. Sports is filled with themes, many of them cliched to be sure, but it's hard to beat a good sports story.

The latest sports story to cross over into mainstream consciousness is that of Jeremy Lin. His meteoric rise is the stuff of fiction.

Lin played basketball at Harvard, so his future was always bright. He could have pursued any number of high-paying jobs, but his dream was to play in the NBA. No team felt he was good enough to be drafted, and while two teams gave him a shot, both cut him after brief stints. Jeremy Lin wasn't good enough for them. In fact, the team he stars for now, the New York Knicks, was reportedly going to cut him the day before he finally got a chance to start.

Lin is a trailblazer. I've been watching the NBA since I was a kid, and I can't remember a single Asian American player. Let's be honest, I bet there weren't a lot of people in the NBA taking the Asian guy from Harvard very seriously, yet another hurdle in Lin's journey to play basketball.

Lin has jumped all the hurdles, perseverance a prominent theme in his story. Lin has been ridiculous since entering the Knicks starting lineup, and he is now the toast of New York. Even Spike Lee approves.

I normally detest all New York teams, but last Friday night, I found myself on the edge of my seat as Lin battled Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Then Tuesday night, Lin got me off the couch with a game-winning 3 in Toronto. For this year at least, consider me a Knicks fan. Lin's story is just too good to miss.