Alhambra man tries to trademark Linsanity

As the winning streak continues for New York Knicks player Jeremy Lin, an Alhambra man has filed a trademark application for the term "Linsanity," Bloomberg News reports. Yenchin Chang, 35-year-old who like Lin is of Taiwanese background, was the first of two people to file a trademark application for the term “Linsanity.”

“I wanted to be a part of the excitement,” Chang, who attended East Los Angeles College and who works in the import/export business, told Bloomberg. “I’m very proud of Jeremy.”

Lin, a Harvard graduate and point guard for the Knicks has created a frenzy as a surprise sucess for the New York team after being released by the Golden State Warriors.

Multi-American asks "What role does race play in the furor that's been dubbed 'Linsanity?'" For an answer she turns to sports anchor Rick Quan's article in CNN for "pointing out some of the reasons why Lin's background - which includes his race, but more than that - matters."

Is Lin getting this much attention only because he's Asian? Absolutely not. Does race play into the equation? Absolutely.

Lin is the first Chinese-American to not just get on the court but make a major impact in the NBA. That is huge. No one since the NBA-ABA merger during the 1976-77 season has scored at least 20 points and seven assists in his first five starts. Nobody. Almost single-handedly, Lin has given new life to the once proud New York Knicks franchise.

Yes, there have been other Asians and Asian-Americans who played in the league, but most were of mixed race (Rex Walters, Raymond Townsend, Wat Misaka). We had the star Yao Ming for a while, but he was from China. Lin is from California. He went to Harvard. He can even dance the Dougie. There is a difference. Not all Asians are alike....

Really, not since Bruce Lee displayed his power in "Enter the Dragon" have we Asian-American men had someone to rally around. Lin has given us a sense of pride.