Does Turning the Other Cheek Help or Hurt?

Harvard basketball star Jeremy Lin has been getting some well-deserved publicity recently, the latest article from Time highlighting Lin's torching of Big East and ACC teams, his love for basketball passed on from his immigrant father, and how people on and off the court can't look past his ethnicity for both good and bad reasons.

It's not surprising that taunts from opposing players and fans have crossed the line into racist slurs:

Everywhere he plays, Lin is the target of cruel taunts. "It's everything you can imagine," he says. "Racial slurs, racial jokes, all having to do with being Asian." Even at the Ivy League gyms? "I've heard it at most of the Ivies, if not all of them," he says. Lin is reluctant to mention the specific nature of such insults, but according to Harvard teammate Oliver McNally, another Ivy League player called him a c-word that rhymes with "ink" during a game last season. Just last week, during Harvard's 86-70 loss to Georgetown in Washington, D.C., McNally says one spectator yelled "sweet and sour pork" from the stands.

The article goes on to reference his taking the high road in the face of such adversity, much to the admiration of at least one teammate:

In the face of such foolishness, Lin doesn't seem to lose it on the court. "Honestly, now, I don't react to it," he says. "I expect it, I'm used to it, it is what it is." Post-game, Lin will release some frustration. "He gets pissed about it afterwards," says McNally. "I have to tip my hat to him. I don't know how I'd react. The type of dude I am, I might not be as mature as Jeremy."

I'm sure that Lin's attempt to turn the other cheek is noble and well-intentioned. It certainly wouldn't benefit him, his team or anyone else if he were to go "Ron Artest" on opposing players and fans by charging into the stands launching haymakers at some idiot hecklers. But one could certainly argue that Lin's actions are actually perpetuating the racial stereotype of the weak Asian who will get pushed around who doesn't do anything about it. On the other hand, sports history tells us something different.

When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball, he too faced racist taunts from opposing players and fans, and also did so with additional weight of a the backdrop of immense societal oppression of basic civil rights for blacks. It's probably safe to say that Robinson not only encountered heckling, but played under the pressure of physical threats and hatred from some of his own teammates. Interestingly, the strategy that the Branch Rickey, general manager of the Dodgers, developed with Robinson was similarly one of graciousness, not retaliation:

"I'm looking for a ballplayer with guts enough not to fight back," Rickey told Robinson, and he acted out situations that Robinson might encounter: He pretended to be a foul-mouthed opponent shouting racial epithets. He swung his fist at Robinson's head. No matter what happened, Rickey said, Robinson must not react.

It took some time, but Rickey and Robinson's patience paid off. Along the way, people also emerged a great supporters of Robinson during the most difficult times, such as teammate Pee-Wee Reese, who famously put his arm around Robinson in a sign of solidarity and support while he was being showered with racial taunts. Hopefully Lin's teammates are doing likewise for him. Hopefully Coach Amaker is doing his own thing behind the scenes, talking to other coaches and making sure that opposing players' ignorance is being dealt with.

And then hopefully, Jeremy Lin will simply be recognized as a great basketball player. Period.