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By Ethen Lieser
AsianWeek Staff Writer
Jackie Robinson suffered. So did Ichiro Suzuki. Now, it’s Yao Ming’s turn. Ming, the 7-foot-5 center who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft, will make his debut in the upcoming NBA season, becoming the first high-profile Asian player to enter the game. His critics, however, haven’t been so kind. No matter. It is a repeat of history.
When Robinson donned the Brooklyn Dodgers uniform for the first time in 1947, he was the prime target for hecklers and traditionalists who wanted to keep the game the way it was — white. Black cats were released on the field, metal cleats from base runners bludgeoned his shins, pitchers regularly thought his head was in “concussion alley.”
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