Who is Natalie Nakase?
Natalie Nakase was born on April 18th, 1980, in Anaheim, California, to parents Gary and Debra, both second-generation Japanese Americans. She became the first Asian American to play in the National Women’s Basketball League. After retiring, she became the head coach of a women’s professional team in Germany, later becoming the first female head coach in Japan’s professional men’s league. After continuing to make history overseas, Nakase returned to America to do the same. She went on to coach in both the WNBA and NBA. Natalie became the fourth woman to coach during an NBA season, the first in Los Angeles. Although these outstanding accomplishments seem to make Natalie the notable athlete and person she is today, the struggles and obstacles she has overcome are genuinely notable.
It took time for Natalie to make it to the world of professional basketball. Her desire to play basketball took off at the age of ten. Her parents sent her to a Japanese language school that Nakase had no interest in pursuing. After expressing her concerns to her father, he gave her a choice: continue to Japanese school like the majority of the kids her age or play basketball. It was obviously an easy decision, but one that came with many challenges. Nakase would face sexist and racist comments throughout her journey. Society strictly reinforces hegemonic masculine ideals, indicating that many sports, including basketball, are not appropriate for women (Rasmussen et al., 2021). However, her perseverance and passion would later prove that women are an asset in the world of professional sports when given the opportunity.
The NBA and WNBA
On August 3rd, 1949, the National Basketball League was formed. Since then, the league has generated billions of dollars in revenue. Quite sometime later, in 1996, the concept of a women’s league was finally accepted, and the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) would begin in 1997. The WNBA has gathered a growing fan base over the years but does not bring in nearly as much revenue as the NBA. On average, the NBA generates $9.2 billion, whereas the WNBA only generates $75 million. In addition to this distinct difference, NBA players receive 50% of that generated revenue, and WNBA players receive 20%. The salary discrepancy between professional men’s and women’s basketball payers has been a conversation for quite some time, but we rarely see action taken. Sexism is not a new term that is used in sports. Many WNBA players face racism, harassment, and bullying (DiCicco, 2020). Although there is a professional league for women, they still must deal with the ideology that women are not supposed to play basketball.
The NBA and WNBA are composed of mostly black players. As an outside fan looking in, it is safe to assume that basketball is an inclusive sport because people of colour are highly represented. However, further investigation into professional basketball would say differently. Statistically speaking, the NBA 2021 season was composed of 73.2%. Black players, 16.8% white players, 3.1% Latino players of any race, and only 0.4% Asian players. Clearly, there is a lack of diversity and representation in this sport. In a 2003 TV interview, Shaquille O’Neal casually tossed out the words, “tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-Chong-Yang-wah-ah-son'” when referring to the Houston Rockets Chinese star. A joke or not, this is the language Asian Americans deal with daily.
Professional basketball player Jeremy Lin has constantly shared his experience of racism in the NBA. Lin has explained that there are steps that need to be in place to ensure we are being proactive about combating racism. He has been a popular name when referring to anti-Asian hate, especially in the world of basketball.
“…the whole point is about building awareness, and then building up, and learning how we can heal and go in the right direction.”
Jeremy Lin (The Guardian, 2021)
One can only imagine the type of discrimination and disrespect a Japanese woman would face in professional basketball.
Being a Japanese American
Discrimination against Asian immigrants began as soon as they entered the United States in the 19th century (Muramatsu and Chin, 2022). The United States has a long history of viewing Asians as “perpetual foreigners” (Huynh et al., 2011). In 1941, following the attack on Pearl Harbour, anti-Asian racism was at an all-time high. Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated to Japanese internment camps after the passing of Executive Order 9066. This policy allowed for the exclusion and removal of all Japanese Americans, including American citizens of Japanese descent (Nakanishi, 2009). One hundred twenty thousand people were executed outside of the United States.
More recently, Covid-19 has sparked tremendous prejudice toward Asian Americans. Since 2020, many Asian Americans have reported physical violence, racial slurs, etc., after the media and the government have been stigmatizing the blame for the virus on Asians (Croucher et al., 2020). President Donald Trump received an abundance of backlash following a statement he put out about the virus. His words sparked an increase in anti-Asian hate across America.
“The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese virus.”
Donald Trump (Twitter, 2021)
Frequently, the term “model minority” is attached to Asian Americans. This stereotype is the idea that all Asian Americans should be intelligent, wealthy, and submissive. They are supposed to be living the “American Dream”. This term dates to the 1960s, following the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. This allowed more Asians to immigrate to the United States. However, they only wanted skilled individuals who would help boost their economy, leading to the model minority stereotype (Ponzio, 2022). From then on, Asians were seen as those with high achievements and the “best minority.” Some believe this term has been created to “camouflage Orientalism” (Li and Nicholson, 2021). The model minority stereotype characterizes Asians as “outsiders,” leaving them vulnerable to discrimination and violence. Many women were seen as quiet and submissive, making them feel powerless and invisible in social environments (Ponzio, 2022).
The National Science Foundation (NSF) states that Asians do not fit their definition of an underrepresented minority. It defines Asians as overrepresented because of their success in highly recognized scientific jobs (Iporac, 2020). Again, society is blind to the fact that Asians and Asian Americans are very much an underrepresented minority and highly stereotyped.
Race and Sport
In sports, there is a lack of diversity in leadership roles, especially in the United States. White, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual men hold most of the leadership roles (Cunningham et al., 2021). Although most athletes are members of minoritized groups, positions of power are reserved for individuals who have historically had power. This can be seen particularly in professional basketball. For instance, people of colour have built up both the NBA and WNBA but are not being actively supported in the community and are not given the opportunity for leadership roles. Asian American players also face discrimination from teammates, opponents, fans, etc. One company reached out to several coaches of Asian descent who agreed to speak anonymously. One coach described racist remarks such as, “watch out for Godzilla,” and being aggressively questioned by security, who did not believe this coach’s credentials were legitimate.
In 2012 Taiwanese American NBA sensation Jeremy Lin was all that basketball fans could talk about. He sparked a critical discussion on cultural policies and stereotypes of Asian Americans that created a shift in attitudes towards this group. Prior to the rise of Jeremy Lin, the term “NBA basketball star” would resemble a tall African American man (Magat, 2015). There were indeed no thoughts of Asian Americans or even women. In every sport, we see stereotypes and ideologies of what athletes or coaches should look like. Many of these ideologies come from the white, heterosexual male because these figures have historically always been the ones in power. It is crucial to create a space, especially in sports, where we can address the present issues of exclusive leadership. We need to get to a level of deep multiculturalism by discussing the inequalities and racism in the NBA and WNBA but also in sports as a whole.
In 1972, a gender equity law was passed, known as Title IX. Title IX has allowed women and girls to participate in sports, reducing the discrimination and unequal treatment women face. Even though Title IX has considerably impacted many people’s lives, there is still a long way to go. This anti-discrimination law hopes to bring men and women together to ensure there is equity.
Concluding Remarks
Natalie Nakase has created even more potential to see women and Asian coaches in professional sports leagues. Nakase’s drive and determination led her to become the inspiration she is today. Dealing with racism and discrimination all her life, she broke barriers and became the first Japanese American woman to coach for the professional Los Angeles basketball team. Although sports programs have made progress in diversity and inclusion, it is still a prominent issue. The world of professional basketball has ways to go in creating an accessible environment for all, but the story of Natalie Nakase has made a huge impact. Her story is a reminder to coaches, athletes, and fans that no matter what stereotypes and ideologies there is about a particular sport, we can break those stereotypes and make a difference in the world of sports.
References
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Cunningham, G. B., Wicker, P., & Walker, N. A. (2021). Editorial: Gender and racial bias in sport organizations. Frontiers in Sociology, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2021.684066
DiCicco, Hailey, “Hoop Dreams: An Empirical Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap in Professional Basketball” (2020). Business and Economics Summer Fellows. 8. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/bus_econ_sum/8
Huynh, Q.-L., Devos, T., & Smalarz, L. (2011). Perpetual foreigner in one’s own land: Potential implications for identity and psychological adjustment. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 30(2), 133–162. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2011.30.2.133
Iporac, L. A. (2020). Are Asians and asian‐americans excluded in Diversity, equity, and Inclusion Initiatives? Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin, 29(4), 132–133. https://doi.org/10.1002/lob.10408
Li, Y., & Nicholson, H. L. (2021). When “model minorities” become “yellow peril”—othering and the racialization of Asian Americans in the Covid‐19 pandemic. Sociology Compass, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12849
Magat, M. (2015). From rebounds to three-pointers: Linsanity, racial insults, and stereotypes in flux. Journal of American Folklore, 128(510), 438–448. https://doi.org/10.5406/jamerfolk.128.510.0438
Muramatsu, N., & Chin, M. H. (2022). Battling structural racism against Asians in the United States: Call for Public Health to make the “invisible” visible. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 28(Supplement 1). https://doi.org/10.1097/phh.0000000000001411
Nakanishi, D. T. (2009). Surviving democracy’s “mistake”: Japanese Americans & the enduring legacy of executive order 9066. Amerasia Journal, 35(3), 52–84. https://doi.org/10.17953/amer.35.3.k537rj6277114185
Ponzio, Anna, “Model Minority Perceptions: The Lived Experiences of Asian American Women in Collegiate Sports” (2022). Pitzer Senior Theses. 126. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pitzer_theses/126
Rasmussen, K., Dufur, M. J., Cope, M. R., & Pierce, H. (2021). Gender marginalization in sports participation through advertising: The case of nike. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 7759. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18157759
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