Race Does Not Determine Place in AHS Athletics: Mixed Ethnicity Teams

SIDNEY AUNG
JIMMY TANG
Staff Writers
In many ways, diversity plays a large part in the overall success of a team sport. Although some may stress the importance of racial diversity, it is the contributing factors of each individual that translates into effective performance.
Considering the large population of Asian and Hispanic students at AHS, it is no surprise that some sports teams at our campus may lack racial diversity. However, some teams, such as basketball and wrestling, are comprised of a variety of students from different cultures. These different cultures are accepted by the players and have found their respective places on the teams.
“Every player grew up in a different area and learned how to play the game differently. Now that we are united as a team, we bring these different styles of playing to the court and learn amongst each other,” said varsity boys’ basketball Captain Chucky Wu.
With the absence of negative energy associated with discrimination, the players are able to become close with one another. As a result, they work together by utilizing their differences in order to play the game more dynamically.
“Race doesn’t really matter to us because we are a team, so we are always supportive of each other,” said varsity wrestling Co-Captain Hugo Perez. The wrestling team consists of a variety of Asian and Hispanic members that have united into a single body of wrestlers.
Cultural differences within the teams are overlooked in light of the similarities that bring them together. One major similarity that all the players share is their love for the sports; it is through sports that athletes learn how to overcome adversity, develop the ability to work as a team and gain the motivation to practice a healthy lifestyle.
“There isn’t any discrimination between anyone because we accept the fact that we are all unique. In the game of basketball, we each have our own specialties which we work hard for,” said Wu.
The athletic teams on campus embody the idea of unity amongst students with different racial backgrounds and the ability to learn from each others’ cultures. In sports, it is not a person’s ethnicity that contributes to a team’s performance, but rather the individual qualities that decides the outcome of a match.