Author Laurence Yep argues in his piece, "The Hong Wah Kues Discover America," that the Chinese basketball team was used unfairly for the purpose of entertainment because they were treated as minorities and barely earned any money. Owner James W. Porter formed the Hong Wah Kues basketball team who consisted of six Chinese American players from Chinatown in San Francisco, California. These men played on a "barnstorming" tour throughout America and Canada. The study focuses upon predominantly Chinese American people, but also discusses the likes of African Americans and Native Americans. Since the Kues were formed in 1939 and played throughout the 1940's, this meant that the economy still had to coincide with the repercussions of the Great Depression. The team also experienced hardship because a few of the players had to quit playing for the team because they were drafted to the army for World War II. .
One of the most pivotal advertising plans for the Hon Wah Kues was selling the fact that their teams consisted of all Chinese American players. This was a huge deal because many people in Midwest America had never seen a person of Chinese descent before. One of the team members Fred Gok recalled, "They told us to only speak Chinese on the court, so we make the spectators laugh." (Yep 43) This displays how these men were used for the use of entertainment even though they were only speaking their language of their native tongue. Owner James W. Porter was the man predominantly responsible for the advertising strategies for the Kues, "Porter chose the name Hong Wah Kues, which translates into overseas Chinese." (Yep 42) Porter being an accountant was a complete businessman that had one intention, which was to capitalize on maximizing his personal profit and this is why he would market the team in a subtle racists manner. .
As a collective majority, America did not completely accept the Chinese.
