It
is a lot like volleyball, but with more street smarts and tradition. You used
find it played in traditional Chinatown neighborhoods and it still is in
spirit. Ursula Liang chronicles a season of the scrappy amateur sporting league
and explores its cultural legacy in 9-Man
(trailer
here),
which screens during this year’s DOC NYC.
One
hundred years ago, the American media was not exactly preoccupied with
immigration reform and pathways to citizenship. Prohibitive restrictions were
placed on Chinese immigration, particularly limiting the influx of women. As a
result, expatriate Chinese communities were overwhelmingly male and largely segregated
to Chinatown enclaves. 9-Man became an important social outlet within the
neighborhood and facilitated friendships with teams from other cities through the
annual championship tournament.
The
tradition is carried on today by younger generations. Liang will follow the
leaders of several teams, particularly the perennially contending Toronto Connex
and the upstart Boston Knights. (Strangely though, New York teams are only
mentioned in passing, which is downright bizarre, considering this is the universally
acknowledged sports capital of the world.)
Liang
briskly but comprehensively explains the history and rules of 9-Man: three more
men on the floor than traditional volleyball, but no rotations and no jump
serves. Here’s the potentially controversial part: six of those nine have to be
100% Chinese-American and the other three must be part Asian, strictly defined.
It is their game, so they should be able to set whatever rules they wish.
However, it is strange that they enforce purity at one end, but let San
Francisco West Coast, a team of tournament-only professional volleyball players,
come in and routinely win the championship, frustrating the
passion-for-the-game amateurs who train together all season long.
