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SALT LAKE CITY -- There is no bigger story in the sports world right now than Jeremy Lin. He hasn't just dominated the headlines of the NBA, but he has dominated global headlines around the world. Talk shows, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, any and all channels are talking Jeremy Lin. You might not follow NBA basketball, but I guarantee you have heard his name. He's reached global recognition in two weeks time in what most athletes, if ever, take a lifetime to achieve.
The NBA last saw this worldwide attention from Yao Ming, but Jeremy Lin has taken it to a new level. Huge money is being made of his name and the New York Knicks have re- emerged as a playoff team. Nicknames are flying everywhere and Knick fans are seeing their tickets more valuable than ever. There is electricity back in the Madison Square Garden and biggest media outlet in the world has put Jeremy Lin in Megastar status.
The story is so good that it's worth explaining how Linsanity came into effect and answer the question of, "Is Jeremy Lin for real or is he just another F.I.T.P (Flash in the pan)?
Let's first give a little background. Lin is the NBA's first American-born Taiwanese player. His parents moved to California in the 1970's but his grandmother and other relatives still live in Taiwan. Lin received no athletic scholarship offers out of high school, but later graduated from Harvard as an economics major. He went undrafted out of Harvard and reached a partially guaranteed contract deal from his hometown Golden State Warriors.
After his first year, he was waived by the Warriors and was picked up by the Rockets only to be waived again. The New York Knicks, who desperately needed a point guard, decided to take a shot with Lin and claimed him off waivers on Dec 27.
The Knicks sent Lin down to the D-league only to be recalled three days later because of injuries on the Knicks roster. New York's season was in a downward spiral with eight wins to 15 losses and head coach Mike D'Antoni, was on the hot seat. With a full roster and no playing time for Lin, the Knicks considering waiving him before his contract became guaranteed on Feb 10th.
However, on Feb 3, Coach D'Antoni decided to give Lin a chance to play. He gave him seven minutes against Boston and D'Antoni's quote, "He got lucky because we were playing so bad."
The next day, Feb 4th, Lin erupted against Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets with 25 points, five rebounds, and seven assist off the bench. His name overnight became the headlines in all New York papers and the buzz that hit the city that never sleeps got started. D'Antoni awarded Lin's play with his first start versus the Utah Jazz. Yes, the Garden was back and electric again. I have to say what a performance it was; 28 points, eight assists, and another win for the Knicks.
Knicks fans rewarded Lin with multiple MVP chants and standing ovations. Hence, Linsanity was born.
His story over the next two weeks kept getting better. His play has made him an overnight sensation and the hottest name of anyone in the world. Yes, I said world. Bloomberg News wrote Lin "has already become the most famous (Asian American) NBA player." He has made the cover of Time magazine in Asia, which in fact, is the same number of times Michael Jordan has made the cover. Few athletes ever reach the global markets and Jeremy Lin has done it in two weeks.
The media attention has risen so high that Lin has actually asked the media to please respect his relatives in Taiwan especially is grandmother. His jersey has become the number one selling jersey in the NBA the last two weeks. Retailers are buying all they can but the demand is so great they can't keep the #17 jersey from flying off the shelves.
Knicks sales and traffic for their online store has risen 3000 percent!
Lin's popularity in China has increased viewership on television and online by 39 percent over last season. His rise has given MSG's stock price a nice bounce as well with a 10 percent lift during these two weeks. Tickets values are increasing and on Sunday Feb 19th, with another dramatic 28 points, 14 assist performance and Knicks win, the average price of a ticket was north of $700.
The question remains, can Linsanity keep going? While their stories are very different, the attention and hype is very similar to Tim Tebow's meteoric rise in the NFL this year. People love the underdog and I don't care what team you're a fan of, it's hard not to root for Jeremy Lin.
Do I think he is a great player? No, but I do think he is a very good player.
I think he will be good for a long time and just watch and see what kind of money teams will throw at him this summer. I love his game with his "pass-first mentality" and his "ego-less" attitude.
So yes, Linsanity will continue and the Knicks will make the playoffs this year. He has single-handedly secured his coach's job, resurrected the Knicks from the abyss, and has increased the rating for the NBA globally.
Not bad for a 23-year-old that is making the league minimum.
If your not buying into Linsanity yet maybe you should, I think its here to stay.
