UCLA Center for the Study of Women

Sports have played a large part in the fabric of Japanese American history, shaping the lives and experiences of the players, their families as well as the ethnic community as a whole. In this regard basketball leagues have had a particularly long and influential history, offering a unique window into the Japanese American community (Niija 2000; Regalado 2000). Today, Japanese American (JA) basketball leagues are thriving cultural and athletic organizations involving over 10,000 youths and adults participating in year-round leagues and tournaments in Northern and Southern California (Nakagawa 2001). Given the continued legacy and growing popularity of sports leagues in the Japanese American community, I wanted to examine the construction and negotiation of gender dynamics within JA basketball leagues.