A funny thing occurred in the comment section regarding the previous blog post on Asian parents making their kids play musical instruments; a tangent topic was brought up about taking their kids out for sports teams. From Eddy:
…do APA parents ever force their kids to play sports the way Caucausian parents do? (It’s a generalization, I know.) While being forced to learn how to play a musical instrument seems pretty common, I don’t usually hear about the same thing when it come to sports.
To which asiandragon replied:
Many parents on the West Coast especially those in the second and third generation ones in Asian areas like the Bay Area, LA / Orange County and Sacramento tend to encourage their kids to participate in sports (Asian basketball leagues, martial arts and golf).
My parents actually encouraged participation in sports like track and basketball and the fighting arts instead of music. My mom didn’t want me to get my butt kicked by the white racists in my school.
Basketball leagues. I do remember Japanese American friends signing up for that growing up.
It’s funny, because now that I think about it – my parents DID sign me up for something physical; kung-fu lessons every Sunday with this retired guy at some shady park in Berkeley. I was NOT an in-shape kid growing up so the thought of doing anything physically? Fuck that, I would rather be penetrated through an ocular cavity. Actually, I think I tried once, and my parents threw their hands up at my dramatic tirade and let me quit. But basketball or soccer is definitely something more Americanized parents would agree to. And I’m not sure how I feel about that.
How about you?
(Photo apologies: Berkeley Ohtani Basketball Program)
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