Sports' Impact on Japanese-Americans - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), August, 2000

Sports always have been an integral part of Japanese-American life and have often mirrored issues confronting that community as a whole--patriotism, discrimination, and assimilation. Using artifacts such as team uniforms, photographs, news clippings, interactive kiosks, and videos, an exhibition, "More Than a Game: Sport in the Japanese American Community," traces their social history through the lens of sports. It will be on view at the Japanese-American National Museum, Los Angeles, through Feb. 18, 2001.

It takes the viewer through Japanese-American history, from their settlement in Hawaii during the late 1800s and the U.S. mainland in the early 1900s through the American concentration camps of World War II to the present day. Throughout this journey, sports such as sumo wrestling, baseball, basketball, bowling, and golf have played an important role in addressing such issues as community, identity, and cultural exchange. The design of the exhibition includes a sumo area, baseball dugout, and mock locker room where trophies, uniforms, and artifacts belonging to members of the local community are displayed.

Highlighted are Japanese-American sports stars from the past and present, including Olympic Gold Medalists Kristi Yamaguchi (ice skating, 1992) and Tommy Kono (weight lifting, 1952 and 1956); San Francisco 49er Wally Yonamine, also known for introducing American-style baseball to Japan and being inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame; and Wat Misaka of the New York Knicks.