Viral video claims to show Jeremy Lin being fouled

World Today

A viral YouTube video claims basketball star Jeremy Lin is the victim of flagrant fouling. Some say it is racism. Others say it is not so simple.

Mark Niu reports.

It’s been three years since Jeremy Lin brought ‘Linsanity’ to New York where he came out of nowhere to average nearly 25 points in his first 10 games.

Lin is now playing for the Charlotte Hornets and recently re-entered the limelight through a YouTube video that shows him getting fouled or at least, it seems like it.

This YouTube video – created by a housewife in California – has been viewed nearly two million times.

It shows Lin getting hit hard multiple times and the person who hits him doesn’t get called for the more severe flagrant foul and sometimes not being called for any foul at all.

It also shows Lin hardly touching a player and getting called for the foul.

Jeremy Lin, Shane Larkin

Charlotte Hornets’ Jeremy Lin, right, is fouled by Brooklyn Nets’ Shane Larkin during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, April 8, 2016. The Hornets won 113-99. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

“It’s a bad influence if people watch this and they don’t know what’s basketball. I think people are jealous of him because he’s the only Asian and he’s like more popular than other people,” said basketball fan Marco Lee, who after watching this this video for the first time.

While some people believe race plays a factor, others believe, it has something to do with Jeremy Lin’s playing style. If you drive so hard into the lane, you are bound to get hit.

The NBA issued a statement saying:

“We have found no data that Jeremy Lin is disadvantaged by our officiating staff. Mr Lin ranked 21st among all players in numbers of drives to the basket with 1,537. While he has not drawn a flagrant foul in that time neither have other guards known for their driving ability.”

University of California-Berkeley professor Derek Van Rheenen says a 2007 study found referees were likely to call more fouls against players not of their own race, but that wasn’t looking at Asian players.

An NBA study in 2014 later claimed that bias had disappeared.

“I think the video, social media in this case, can be very compelling, but from a researcher’s standpoint, whether or not you could extrapolate from there to say that Jeremy Lin is the victim of discrimination, added Rheenen. “So, unfortunately, even if it is the case, it’s hard to prove because it’s anecdotal.” 

Jeremy Lin has since responded, saying what happened on the video is exactly what happened and he’s just gotta play through it.