The Jeremy Lin phenomenon reminds me of a favorite poem. Thomas Gray’s Elegy in a Country Churchyard. Gray writes about how many buried souls in a country churchyard might have been blessed with exceptional talents but led ordinary lives where those talents were never exposed. It sure looked like Jeremy Lin was headed that way.
It hearkens to Moneyball, the baseball book and movie about finding the under-rated talent and winning without spending millions to put together a team of winners.
Jeremy Lin probably saved coach Mike D’Antoni’s job with the Knicks. Should that be the case? If you were the General Manager or owner of the Knicks, would this save or lose D’Antoni’s job? Tough call, isn’t it?
If the coach couldn’t see Lin’s talent and was about to cut him that week, is he a good coach and judge of talent? Can he say, two other NBA coaches cut Lin, that shows I’m no different?
Every day, hiring and firing decisions are made all over the world where Jeremy Lin mistakes are made. Elections are held where Jeremy Lin mistakes are made.
Every day people with exceptional talent pack it in for the rest of their lives, just as the people in Gray’s churchyard did and accept the fact that they can’t put any more effort into showing other’s their talent.
To me that’s the story of Jeremy Lin. Everyday from grade school to the pros, a loser plays while a Jeremy Lin sits the bench. A loser gets hired while a Jeremy Lin goes unemployed. A Jeremy Lin gets laid off while a suck-up keeps a job. A would-be Steve Jobs gives up when the 10th bank turns him down for a loan. A politician’s daughter gets a college scholarship while a Jeremy Lin gives up the college dream when he gets turned down for an academic scholarship.
In Lin’s case, a coach started him out of necessity. He saved the coach, saved the Knicks season, filled up the Garden, made the NBA global, and created the biggest ethnic hype in sports in decades.
But, don’t rejoice. That same coach can turn him back into a pumpkin.
