The Most Successful The Most Successful Asian American AthletesAsian American Athletes

•Criteria•Top5 Asian American Male Athletes

•Top 5 Asian American Female Athletes •Conclusion

Amcult 214By Brian Kay & You Jung Seo

CriteriaCriteriaWe considered:

1. Awards/medals and Achievements◦ We regarded this as an important criteria because they not

only show the skills of athletes but also their contribution to the United States.

2. Number of results from Google◦ The number of results from Google represent the popularity

of the athletes. For more accurate results, we typed in the name of an athlete and his/her field.

3. Period of Achievement◦ This counts in a way that it describes how long an athlete

could survive and involve in his/her field. 4.Official Website of an Athlete◦ An official website of an athlete reflects his/her popularity in

the society. 5. Additional Remarks◦ We also added unique aspects in some athletes’ life.

Process of RankingProcess of Ranking

First of all, we searched through internet, and collected lists of Asian American male and female athletes.

We distinguished Asian American Athletes and Asian Athletes based on the place of birth.

Based on our five selected considerations, we made our own scale and gave points to the athletes in order to rank them.

1. Awards/Medals and 1. Awards/Medals and AchievementsAchievements

• Scales◦Awards/achievements0.5 point◦Medals in other championships0.5 point◦Olympic Gold medal 3 points◦Olympic Silver medal 2 points◦Olympic Bronze medal 1 point

*We gave much weight on Olympics medals since the Olympics is the world’s largest sports competition.

2. Number of Results from Google2. Number of Results from Google

Scales◦1 point per 100,000 results from Google.◦We rounded up the number to the tenth place

3. Period of Achievements3. Period of Achievements

Scales◦0~4 years1 point◦5~9 years2 points◦10+ years3 points

4. Official Website of an Athlete4. Official Website of an Athlete

Scales◦If there is an official website1 point◦If there is no official website 0 point

5. Additional Remarks5. Additional Remarks

Scales◦We gave one extra point for each unique

remark of an athlete.

Five Most Successful Asian Five Most Successful Asian American Male AthletesAmerican Male Athletes

5. Bryan Clay(Decathlon)5. Bryan Clay(Decathlon) Awards/medals and Achievements

◦ 2004 Athens Olympics Silver medal (2 points)◦ 2008 Beijing Olympics Gold Medal (3 points)◦ 2005 Helsinki World Championship Gold medal (0.5 point)◦ 2004 Budapest Indoor Championship Silver medal (0.5 point)◦ 2006 Moscow World Indoor Championship Silver medal (0.5 point)◦ 2008 Valencia World Indoor Championship Gold medal (0.5 point)

Number of results from Google◦ 62,800 (0.6 point)

Period of Achievement◦ 2004~2008 (2 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ No (0 point)

Additional Remarks◦ His victory margin of 240 points in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the

largest since 1972 (1 point)

Total Points=10.6

4. Brian Viloria (Boxing)4. Brian Viloria (Boxing)

Awards/medals and Achievements◦ 2005 WBC light flyweight champion (0.5 points)◦ 1995 National Junior Olympics champions at 100 pounds (3 points)◦ 1999 National Golden Gloves Light Flyweight Champion (0.5 points)◦ 1999 National Amateur Light Flyweight Champion (0.5 points)

• Number of results from Googleo 314,000 (3 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 2004~2008 (2 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ No (0 points)

Additional Remarks◦ Member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic Team (1 point)◦ Overall record230-8 (1 point)

Total Points=11.5

3. Sammy Lee (Diving)3. Sammy Lee (Diving) Awards/medals and Achievements

◦ Gold medal in 1948 London Olympics (3 points)◦ Gold medal in 1952 Helsinki Olympics (3 points)◦ Bronze medal in 1948 London Olympics (1 point)◦ Sullivan Award (0.5 point)◦ 1946 National AAU Platform Champion (0.5 point)◦ 1942 National AAU Springboard and Platform Champions (0.5 point)

Number of results from Google◦ 48,500 (0.5 point)

Period of Achievement◦ 1948~1952 (2 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ No (0 point)

Additional Remarks◦ U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (1 point)◦ First Asian American who won a gold medal in the Olympics (1 point)◦ First man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving (1

point)

Total Points=14

2. Hines Ward (Football)2. Hines Ward (Football)Awards/medals and Achievements

◦ 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, Pro Bowl Selection (2 points)◦ 2002, 2003, 2004 All-Pro Selection (1.5 points)◦ 2002, 2005 Steelers Co-MVP (1 point)◦ 2003 Steelers MVP (0.5 point)◦ Superbowl XL MVP (0.5 point)

Number of results from Google◦ 465,000 (4.7 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 1998~present (3 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ Yes (1 point)

Additional Remarks◦ None (0 point)

Total Points=14.2

1. Tiger Woods (Golf)1. Tiger Woods (Golf)

Awards/medals and Achievements◦ PGA Tour Rookie of the Year◦ 1996, 2000 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year◦ 2000~2007 (except for 2004) PGA Player of the Year◦ 96 more awards.

For more information, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_career_achievements_by_Tiger_Woods#Awards

◦ Total 106 awards (53 points)Number of results from Google

◦ 895,000 (9 points)Period of Achievement

◦ 1996~present (3 points)Official Website of an Athlete

◦ Yes (1 point)Additional Remarks

◦ Nike produces golf products under Tiger Woods’ name. (1 point)

Total Points=67

Five Most Successful Asian Five Most Successful Asian American Female AthletesAmerican Female Athletes

5. Amy Chow (Gymnastics)5. Amy Chow (Gymnastics)

Awards/Medals and Achievements◦ 1996 Atlanta Olympic, Team Competition-Gold (3 points)◦ 1996 Atlanta Olympic, Uneven Bars-Silver (2 points)◦ 1944 Dortmund World Championships-Silver (0.5 points)◦ 1995 Mar del Plata Pan American Games, Team-Gold (0.5 points),

Vault-Gold (0.5 points), Uneven Bars-Silver (0.5 points), All-around-Bronze (0.5 points)

Number of results from Google◦ 25,600 (0.3 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 1990~2000 (3 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ No (0 point)

Additional Remarks◦ None (0 point)

Total Points= 10.8

4. Catherine Mai-Lan Fox 4. Catherine Mai-Lan Fox (Swimming)(Swimming)

Awards/Medals and Achievements◦ 1996 Atlanta Olympic Game 4x100m Freestyle-Gold (3points)◦ 1996 Atlanta Olympic Game 4x100m Medley-Gold (3points)◦ 1995 Mar del Plata Pan American Games 4x200m Freestyle-

Gold (0.5 points)◦ 1997 Fukuoka Pan Pacific Championships 4x100m Freestyle-

Gold (0.5 points), 100m Freestyle-Bronze (0.5 points), 100m Backstroke-Bronze (0.5 points)

Number of results from Google◦ 113,000 (1.1 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 1995~1999 (2 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ No (0 point)

Additional Remarks◦ First Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming

(1 point) Total Points= 12.1

3. Jeanette Lee (Billiard)3. Jeanette Lee (Billiard)

Awards/Medals and Achievements◦ 17 Achievements/Titles

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanette_Lee_(pool_player) (8.5 points)

◦ Women’s Professional Billiard Association Sportsperson of the Year Award in 1998 (0.5 points)

◦ Gold medals for the USA at the World Games in Akita and Japan, 2003 (1 point)

Number of results from Google◦ 45,700 (0.5 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 1993~2008 (3 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ Yes (1 point)

Additional Remarks◦ None (0 point)

Total Points=14.5

2. Kristi Yamaguchi 2. Kristi Yamaguchi (Figure Skater)(Figure Skater)

Awards/Medals and Achievements 1992 Albertville Olympic, Single- Gold (3 points) 23 Medals from 1987~1992 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kristi_Yamaguchi (11.5 points) Flo Hyman Memorial Award 2004 (0.5 points) Dancing with the Stars (US) winner (0.5 points)

Number of results from Google 71,400 (0.7 points)

Period of Achievement◦ 1984~1992 (2 points)

Official Website of an Athlete◦ Yes (1 point)

Additional Remarks 2008, Yamaguchi became the celebrity champion in the sixth season of Dancing with

the Stars with pro dance partner Mark Ballas. According to the host of the show, she had the highest scores of any competitor in the show’s history. (1 point)

Total Points= 20.2

1. Michelle Kwan1. Michelle Kwan (Figure Skater) (Figure Skater)

Awards/Medals and Achievements◦ 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic-Silver (2 points)◦ 2002 Salt Lake City-Bronze (1 point)◦ 47 Medals and 8 Awards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Kwan (27.5 points) Number of results from Google

◦ 67,600 (0.7 points) Period of Achievement

◦ 1993~2008 (3 points) Official Website of an Athlete

◦ No (0 point) Additional Remarks

◦ She has remained competitive for over a decade and is the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. (1 point)

Total Points= 35.2

ConclusionConclusion For Asian American male athletes, we figured out that

Asian American male athletes are successful in variety of fields. It was surprising to see that Asian American male athletes were able to succeed in the fields like football, decathlon and boxing. Those athletes went against the stereotype of feminine Asian American men.

However, for the female athletes, most of the successful ones were participating in fields that require artistic expression and skills, such as figure skating and gymnastics. Also, it was notable that the most of the successful Asian American female athletes were participating in individual events rather than team sports. Based on this result, we hypothesize that this might be a result from stereotypes of sexual Asian American women.