From the title of Jay Caspian Kangs as the reader I assumed his essay was about the issue of immigration and would explain facts about immigrants in sports. By including "the importance of Ichiro" I assumed he would connect immigrants to the love of sports, but I was not sure how he would make this connection.
The main point the author is making is the sport of baseball creates different ethnic supporting groups when you view it from the outside. The players themselves are seen as equals, team players and apart of their own family. But when viewed as a fan, you can see the problems faced by what is said in the stands, and the racism that lingers beneath the pure fun of the sport. Personas in sports are how fans find their favorite players, their race and nationality play a large part in who they may choose as their favorite player. Though this idea may be over-generalized the author points out how he has faulted in his descrimination and knows he should chose a player based from skill-level and overall play.
If I were to write about sports and calling them "American" I would compare it back to the view on baseball as an American sport and whether or not this author agrees with calling it that. Based from all the different nationalities that make up the players of this sport, and all the countries that play this sport, it may not be necessarily fair to refer to it that way. What makes baseball the "American Sport" and how has it come to be our own? This essay can be used to refer to one mans view on how he has been apart and participated in the racism that makes up our American sports. I would point out how the author knows it is wrong to stereotype but finds himself rooting for those of his same ethnicity. It also gives the perspective of the player and the man rooting for the team, which gives an interesting insight. I could also use this essay as a lead in to the issue of immigration and how immigrant players are benefitting our teams, or based on conflicting views not benefitting, our sports teams.
