“Lin” Your Face: America loves a bandwagon to jump on

Everywhere you look, every channel you turn to, you’re pretty much confronted with one face: Jeremy Lin, New York Knicks superstar.

How did this happen?

Your guess is as good as mine. One thing is clear, though, America has never met a bandwagon they managed to refrain from jumping on. This is no different.

In the past two weeks, Jeremy Lin has gone from perennial benchwarmer to the top-selling jersey in basketball. He was a little known Harvard graduate that was sandwiched behind a bevy of New York court heroes *cough*Extreme Egos Madison Square Garden Edition*cough.*

Then, the unthinkable happened. All the high profile starters for the Knicks got hurt and they had to call on the 6’3” Asian wonder from North California. At the time, everyone was just hoping the Knicks would get off the court without embarrassing themselves. No one thought they would win.

Then they did.

Then no one thought they would win again.

But they did.

Then they kept winning.

In the month of February, Lin has averaged 21.6 points and 8.1 assists in 33.8 minutes of playing time a game. Want to know what’s even more miraculous? The Knicks have kept on winning. I know, the mind boggles.

At first it was just NYC that noticed. Then ESPN noticed. Now everyone in the free world has noticed. Lin has been mentioned on everything from ABC’s ‘The View’ to Comedy Central’s ‘The Daily Show.’ Everywhere you go, people are using the term “Linsanity” – you know, for when people are insane with fan fervor for Lin.

They also mention that not only is he a gifted athlete, but he’s also “Lintelligent,” “Linchanted,” “Lintellectual” and “Linning.” If you want to see more of those, you can find them at the Jeremy Lin word generator (that’s not a joke).

Funny? Maybe at first. Entertaining? Maybe for the first week. Bordering on annoying? Yeah, we’re all at that point now. It’s becoming "Linnoying."

Tebowing

The sad thing is, this isn’t the first time that America has let something like this take over – well just about everything media oriented. Heck, this isn’t the first time this year. By the way, where are all the Tebowers now? My guess is that they’re riding the Jeremy Lin express – right into Bandwagon Town.

Perhaps they’re wearing Crocs (they’re still ugly people) and Ed Hardy (anyone else wish that tiger would have jumped off Jon Gosselin’s shirt and ate him?), while following the Atkins diet, listening to William Hung, playing Sudoku, watching the Casey Anthony trial and dancing to the Macarena?

That’s what this is akin to for me.

Crocs

I don’t begrudge Lin his success. He’s clearly earned it. It’s also nice to see a Harvard athlete get accolades for something on the court (instead of merely in the classroom). He’s not Michael Jordan, though, folks.

The truth is, we have no idea what Lin’s legacy will be. At a certain point, other teams might be able to find a way to stop him after watching game tape. He may also ultimately lose his golden touch on his own and be relegated back to the bench.

Plus, we all know there are certain court superstars who aren’t known for playing well with others – yes, I’m talking about Carmelo Anthony. He hasn’t made a trip to “Linland” yet – and I’m guessing he’s not enjoying the coverage that Lin has generated in his injury absence. There’s not enough room for Lin’s accolades and Anthony’s ego in the same stadium – let alone on the same court. When the two playing styles collide – things may get a little ugly.

Casey Anthony

As of now, the Knicks have won seven in a row and they could easily win another few before the “Linrocket” comes plummeting back to Earth. Any way you look at it, though, Lin has revitalized interest in the game – which was suffering from fan fatigue after a lockout shortened the season. It’s been a welcome distraction – especially since the Republican primary is getting more ugly than entertaining.

In the long run, though, people just need to learn to breath. Just like Tim Tebow isn’t Joe Montana, Jeremy Lin isn’t Magic Johnson. Trying to build them up in your own mind is only going to help them topple faster.

What do you think? Is Jeremy Lin the real deal or is he a flash in the pan?