03/13/12 - Research

I decided to do a little more research on Ichiro Suzuki in order to get a better grasp on his impact on baseball. I learned that Suzuki was very successful, despite what many experts predicted, and he won various awards and honors for his success. His success made the spotlight on him even bigger, as more and more people wanted to learn more about this new Japanese immigrant who was dominating Americans at what many argue is their sport. This led me to do searches for more Asians who participate successfully in sports in America. Most things I found had to do with basketball star Yao Ming, who's towering stature and success in the NBA brought more attention to another Asian immigrant. The research I did helped me understand how the lack of Asian immigrants who get opportunities in American sports make the few who are successful that much more idolized. This relates to the author's point of how athletes can make us feel like we are part of something and can relate to them even if we have the most general thing in common.