Asian American Sports Fans becoming attractive Marketing Targets

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Jeff

Asian American sports fans are becoming attractive marketing targets. Asian Americans spend 15% more time viewing live sports than the general public according to a Nielsen report. Given that most sports marketing efforts are targeted at live sports and that Asian Americans have an estimated $1.4 trillion in buying power, marketing to Asian American sports fans can be potentially very lucrative. This attention sounds great – the opposite of invisibility.  Still, some Asian American sports marketing efforts have met with controversy.

The Nielsen report says that increased representation in high visibility sports is one driver for increased sports viewership. Examples include Shohei Ohtani in the World Series, the NCAA Women’s Basketball Champion, and the WNBA Draft. Kaitlyn Chen played on the NCAA Women’s champion team Connecticut, and along with Te-Hina Paopao, was drafted in the 2025 WNBA draft.

Some sports teams like the Golden State Warriors market heavily to Asian Americans.  John covered many Asian Heritage nights at Warriors’ games, along with a Japanese Heritage night and even a Lunar New Celebration. The Warriors have held not one but two Filipino Heritage nights this year! The Warriors’ and Golden State Valkyries‘ home arena at Chase features Filipino food such as Senor Sisig and The Sarap Shop.

Asian American marketing efforts can generate controversy. Some fans are unhappy that the Golden State Valkyries used the draft of Kaitlyn Chen for marketing purposes and then cut her. Valkyries, with the same ownership as the Golden State Warriors, have been outrageously successful by most standards. Joe Lacob’s $50 million buy-in for the expansion has bloomed into a franchise valued at $500 million.  The Valkyries have already blown away expansion team win records and their ticket sale goals. Chen has returned to the Valkyries for the moment.  When she finally did play and went to the bench, the crowd chanted  “put Chen back in.”

The 2025 Nielsen report also discusses how Asian Americans are tech trends leaders and significant retail influencers. Access the whole report here.

(photo credit: UCinternational licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.)

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Kaitlyn Chen Plays in Her First WNBA Regular Season Game

Posted on June 25, 2025 by John

GSV vs. Indiana Fever, photo courtesy of 8Asians

We had blogged recently that the WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries had signed Kaitlyn Chen to a short-term contract after they had initially let her go prior to the regular season starting. Chen’s first game in the regular WNBA season was an away game against the Dallas Wings, but she didn’t play any minutes. Her second game was at home in San Francisco against the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark. Again, Chen didn’t get any playing time.  You can see her on the bench in this picture that I took at the game.

She finally got off the bench this past Sunday, June 22nd playing against the Connecticut Sun.   In that game, Kaitlyn Chen plays for 21 minutes, scoring 2 of 3 from the field and 1 free throw to score 5 points! Unfortunately, I didn’t happen to attend that home game. Hope to see her in action soon as we mentioned that she is likely to get waived again after the Eurobasket Women Tournament concludes.

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FOREVER WE ARE YOUNG Documentary honors BTS’s ARMY

Posted on June 24, 2025 by Mayee Yeh

Love them or hate them, you can’t deny BTS’s success. Five Grammy nominations and six Billboard Hot 100-topping singles later, the seven-member act has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. Still, fandom is just as important as the artist it adores. The documentary FOREVER WE ARE YOUNG shines a light on the BTS Army’s multifaceted fandom, focusing on how their collective action and organization contributed to BTS’s worldwide domination.

When I saw the title, a familiar melody played in my head from Epilogue: Young Forever, which couldn’t be a coincidence. To my relief, co-directors Grace Lee and Patty Ahn frame the project as being “made BY ARMY FOR ARMY.” I’d trust only the fandom itself to offer “an unprecedented look at the deep emotional connection between the band and their fans through the lens of personal stories, global fan movements, and unforgettable concert memories,” as the press release for the movie states.

As a researcher and lover of expertise, I appreciate an educated producer. Seeing that one of Ahn’s academic focuses has been on the cross-cultural influence of K-Pop and its globalization has only made me more excited about the project. Not to mention executive producer and “cultural documentarian” Oscar-winning Morgan Neville’s work on intriguing projects like Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (which I’m still dying to see) and Piece by Piece (which I did see but deeply baffled me). The FOREVER WE ARE YOUNG was first screened at the 2025 SXSW, “with sold out audiences earning standing ovations and high praise from BTS fans and film lovers alike.” per the movie’s press release.

Continue reading →

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Maybe Happy Ending Almost Did not Open

Posted on June 23, 2025 by Jeff

"Maybe Happy Ending" nominated for 10 Tony AwardsWe have talked about how the musical Maybe Happy Ending was nominated for 10 Tony Awards and won 6 of them.  As this New York Time article discusses, Maybe Happy Ending almost did not open! It faced many obstacles in its path to becoming a multiple Tony winner, from before it opened to the initial weeks and months after its Broadway premiere.

The lighting for the show was particularly complex.  Ben Stanton said here that this was one of the most complex designs he had ever done.  The design required video tiles that were delayed, and that pushed back the opening date by a month. The show had to layoff workers because of the delay.

When Maybe Happy Ending did open, it left 20% of seats unfilled. It was grossing less than half of the income that it needed to cover costs.  Part of the problem wasits unique story that was not relying on previous IP, such as a revival of a previous show or the movie. The story about two robots in Seoul was not an easy concept for people to grasp.  “Just trust me,” was lead Helen J. Shen’s main argument to people for getting to see it.

While Maybe Happy Ending almost did not open, it eventually did so in November 2024 to excellent reviews.  With those reviews and word of mouth, ticket sales took off. After the Tony Award nominations, the shows sold out consistently. Darren Criss has extended his run on the show through August 31.  Tickets are available at the show’s website here.

 

 

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New York State Bill on Diagnosing Asian American Diabetes

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Jeff

With more than half of Asian American Diabetes cases going undetected, a bill in the New York State legislature tries to reduce that rate.  Specifically, it asks insurance companies to pay for diabetes diagnostic tests for people who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 23.  Says NY State Senator John Liu:

Diabetes is an increasingly silent killer in Asian American communities that often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. Lowering the BMI threshold for screening will help identify and treat at-risk individuals faster before serious damage is done and save lives. It’s time for the insurance industry to catch up with nationally recognized best practices by making these screenings accessible and free so everyone can get the care they need before complications arise.

You might wonder why this focus on BMI and diabetes.  Diabetes  in Asian Americans occurs at a lower BMI than the general American population. The Asian American Diabetes Initiative at the Joslin Diabetes Center is promoting the Screen at 23 campaign. Liu’s bill aligns neatly with this effort.

Excellent information and resources on Diabetes and Asian American can be found here.  The Joslin Center makes the information available in a number of Asian languages.

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Kaitlyn Chen Returns to the WNBA

Posted on June 16, 2025 by Jeff

After getting winning a national championship, getting drafted by the WNBA, and then being released by a WNBA team, Kaitlyn Chen returns to the WNBA.  With many players in the WNBA going to Europe to play in the Eurobasket tournament, roster spots have opened. The Golden State Valkyries reaction has been to add Chen. A lot for her in just two months!

While she will probably be waived after the Eurobasket tournament is over, I think that when Kaitlyn Chen returns to the WNBA, the experience will be valuable for her.  As the SBNation article points out, there will be many more spots opening in the WNBA with two expansion teams being added next year.

Chen will be available to play on June 17 when the Valkyries play the Dallas Wings.

(h/t: John)

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Heart Disease and Stroke Risks Vary significantly among Asian American Subgroups

Posted on June 13, 2025 by Jeff

Heart Disease and Stroke Risk vary widely among Asian American Subgroups

Stroke is a medical hazard for Asian Americans. It can even strike Asian Americans as young as 33.  Which Asian Americans are the most vulnerable? The American Heart Association reports that heart disease and stroke risks vary significantly among Asian American subgroups. A study outlined in this press release has found that prevalence of risk factors like high blood pressure ranges widely between these groups.  As an example, Filipino Americans have 30% incidence of high blood pressure compared to only 12% in Chinese Americans.

The PANACHE (Pacific Islander, Native Hawaiian and Asian American Cardiovascular Health Epidemiology) study looked at the health records of 700,000 AAPI enrolled in large private health systems.  Diabetes prevalence was another area of variation. It is much more prevalent in Pacific Islanders (14%) vs Chinese Americans (5%). Generally, Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, Filipinos, and other Southeast Asian populations had the highest 10 year risk for cardiovascular disease.

You can find out more details in the links we have provided.  The actual posters for what was presented at the American Heart Association conference can be found here (search for PANACHE). As mentioned above, we reviewed a book about an Asian American who had a stroke at 33 (written by former 8Asians writer Christine Hyung-Oak Lee) called Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember.

 

 

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Maybe Happy Ending and Yellow Face win Tony Awards

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Jeff

 

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"Maybe Happy Ending" nominated for 10 Tony AwardsThe 2025 Tony Award show saw Maybe Happy Ending and Yellow Face win 2025 Tony Awards! Maybe Happy Ending won 6 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Performance by An Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical (Darren Criss).  Yellow Face actor Francis Jue won the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play. Another notable Asian American award winner was Nicole Scherzinger, who won Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her role in Sunset Blvd.

The growth of Asian Americans on Broadway has taken off this past year. It is more than just actors and actresses winning awards but about Asian American themed and originated material. Although they don’t mention Maybe Happy Ending, Francis Jue and Daniel Dae Kim talk about this progress in an interview in Playbill. Helen J. Shen and Nicole Scherzinger deserve extra recognition as being in award winning productions in their Broadway Debut.

For Broadway tickets to see Maybe Happy Ending, see the musical’s official website. In addition, a North American tour is coming!  You can see Yellow Face on PBS here. Sunset Blvd tickets can be found here, but you had better hurry as the show closes on July 20.

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“Maybe Happy Ending” nominated for 10 Tony Awards

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Jeff

"Maybe Happy Ending" nominated for 10 Tony AwardsA musical originally from South Korea, “Maybe Happy Ending” has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards.  The show features Darren Criss and Helen J Shen as the leads.  The musical by Hue Park and Will Aronson first debuted in South Korea in 2015. It is the story of two abandoned robots who fall in love.

The show debuted on Broadway on November 14 to positive reviews. It won six Drama Desk awards. As we mentioned, “Maybe Happy Ending” has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards. The nominations include Best Musical and Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Musical (Darren Criss).  It already has won six Drama Desk awards.

The Tony Awards show airs on Sunday June 8 at 8 PM ET on CBS and Paramount+. The show will include performances by the cast of Maybe Happy Ending.  As John mentioned, the play Yellow Face is up for 3 Tony Awards. You can purchase tickets and see more information at the show here.

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Ruby Ibarra has won the 2025 Tiny Desk Contest

Posted on June 5, 2025 by Jeff

Filipino American Rudy Ibarra has won the 2025 Tiny Desk ContestFilipino American rapper and Bay Area resident Ruby Ibarra has won the 2025 Tiny Desk contest.  As the winner, she and her band performed on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series. I had never heard of this former research scientist before, and her and her band’s performance pleasantly surprised me.

As I mentioned, Ibarra’s performance surprised me. Bakunawa, the first song in the concert and her submission to the contest, is sung and rapped in three languages: English, Tagalog, and Bisaya.  As a Bay Area resident, I hear a lot of the first two languages, but not really the last one. Having a band actually performing instead of just a DJ pleased me greatly. I really loved their sound – the fact there was so much effort put into live music impressed me. In another surprise, Ibarra includes Rock and Roll Pioneer June Millington in her band! Ibarra’s songs had may references to issues faced by Filipino Americans, such as colorism and immigrants parents never being around since they are working so much.

We have featured other Tiny Desk performances, such as this one by the Linda Lindas. According to this article, Ruby Ibarra is planning a short Tiny Desk tour. FYI, the Bakunawa is a dragon in Filipino Folklore.

(photo credit: Fobanese licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.)

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Kaitlyn Chen has Signed with the 3XBA

Posted on June 3, 2025 by Jeff

Kaitlyn Chen has Signed with the 3x3 Basketball Association. She is cutting down the net from her championship with UCONNAfter being drafted by the Golden State Valkyries, Kaitlyn Chen was waived before the team’s inaugural game. Fortunately for her, she continues to play basketball professional, like another Asian American who was drafted by the WNBA and then waived. Kaitlyn Chen has signed with the 3xBA (3 x3 Basketball Association). She will join 3×3 play at the Spokane Hoopfest in Washington State from June 25 through 28.

Who is the other Asian American who moved on from the WNBA? Kaylynne Truong was drafted by the WBNA team the Washington Mystics in 2024 but was waived.  She recently played for PAOK Thessaloniki in Greece. Although she wasn’t drafted by the WNBA, her twin sister Kayleigh recently played for the Henan Phoenix in China.

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College Basketball Player Xaivian Lee gets $6 Million in Deals

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Jeff

Princeton's Xaivian Lee drives to the basket. Xaivian Lee gets $6 million in deals after transferring to FloridaWe have a written about a number of high level  Asian American athletes who graduated from Ivy League Universities, such as skater Nathan Chen (Yale), basketball player Kaitlyn Chen and of course, NBA star Jeremy Lin (Harvard),  But what reason would make an athlete leave the Ivy League? One Princeton Basketball player  apparently found 6 million reasons. According to On3, Xaivian Lee gets $6 million in deals as he transfers to Florida for his senior year.

What’s really intriguing to me is that the majority of the value of his deals is from a multi-year global sneaker agreement with shoe brand Serious Player Only. An Asian basketball player with his own shoe?  How cool would that be?!? At the moment, he is featured prominently on the Serious Player Only website with the video we have embedded above.

The NCAA changed their rules in 2021 to allow collegiate athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Since then, we have written about Asian American athletes who have signed NIL agreements, namely Gonzaga Basketball Players Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong and Cornell quarterback Jameson Wang. Looks like we will add Asian Canadian Xaivian Lee to that list.

(h/t: Number Two Son)

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