[손태규의 직설] NFL star quarterback Kyler Murray says he wants to represent Korea at the LA Olympics… Mixed-race Korean players’ extreme ‘love for Korea’

‘Flag football.’ It may be unfamiliar, but it is an official event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in the United States. A transformation of American football. It is the same as futsal, 3X3 basketball, etc. If Korea could send a representative, they might be able to win a medal. This is because Kyler Murray, the star quarterback of the American National Football League (NFL), expressed his desire to play for the Korean national team.

He recently responded positively to a question on social media about what he would do if Korea offered him to represent the national team. “It would be a huge deal if Korea called me. I will consider playing for the Korean national team. “It will be a wonderful experience.”

The American media reported with the title, “Star quarterbacks announced their intention to play against the United States,” and said, “Almost all of the top quarterbacks in the NFL said they would play for the United States in 2028.” However, only one person said he would stand up to the United States. “He is of Korean descent,” the report said. An article that makes you feel like you have betrayed America.

He is not a compatriot overseas. I was just born with Korean blood. That’s 1/4. However, I especially love Korean blood. feel proud In professional sports, where racial issues are sensitive, I proudly reveal that I am of Korean descent. He always competes with the national flag attached to his helmet. “It’s something I’m really proud of. “It’s a great way to pay homage to my mother, my roots, and the diverse backgrounds that make up the NFL.”

The mother of Murray, who is known as the sparkling quarterback, is also of mixed race. My maternal grandmother is Korean. However, my mother still uses the Korean name ‘Miseon’. It is not easy for her, a mixed race born in the United States, as many Koreans living in Korea have American names. Murray’s love of Korea seems to have been inherited from his mother.

My father, who was a quarterback for a professional team and is currently a high school coach, is African-American. Murray has repeatedly emphasized that having inherited blood from both sides holds great significance in his life. Two years ago, as violence against Asian Americans soared, people wrote a protest on social media calling it “incomprehensible hatred.”

If Murray becomes the Korean representative for flag football, he will be the second mixed-race player after Tommy Edman, who played for the Korean national team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Ed Myeon, an infielder for the Major League Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers, was born in the United States. My mother is Korean. He also had a Korean name, Kwak Hyun-soo, and had a great desire to become a Korean national team player.

■“Be sure to attach the Taegeukgi on your helmet”… Like Kyler Murray, there are three more Korean NFL stars who practice ‘Korea love’

There are three more Korean players who wear the national flag on their game helmets as if on their heads. Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell has a Korean grandmother. Like his head, he has 1/4 Korean ancestry. He was the first freshman starter at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) in American football history. Since then, I have been telling local media about my grandmother and her love for Korea. ‘Grandma Kimchi’ is to him “a food of mystery.” He said he really wanted to go to Korea.

My grandmother met her husband, a US soldier stationed in Korea, in the 1960s and came to the United States after getting married. However, her husband passed away early and she raised her two children alone. My grandmother was an avid spectator at almost all of Howell’s games, from high school to college. Two years ago, Howell passed away before he could blossom into a professional player.

His grandmother’s death deepened his love for Korea. “I’m really curious about my Korean ancestry. I became more curious after my grandmother passed away. My grandmother was a big link between me and that bloodline. My grandmother always talked about Korea. I am very proud of my background and roots. “I want people to know that.” To commemorate his bloodline, he wore the Korean national flag on his helmet. Like Murray’s father, his father is a high school football coach.

Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton also wears the national flag on his helmet. My mother is Korean from Daegu. I went to Greece to study abroad and met my American husband who played professional basketball. My mother, who was an artist, had a great passion for education like any other Korean mother. I supported my two sons so that they could study well and play sports. Hamilton is a member of the international Mensa, which recognizes people who score in the top 2% on official intelligence tests.

Koo Young-hoe, a kicker for the Atlanta Falcons who immigrated to the United States when he was in the 6th grade of elementary school, also never forgets the Korean flag.

In Korea, there are many cases where Korean foreigners, such as compatriots or people of mixed race, are ostracized because their nationality is not Korean. Among them, the media does not readily cover outstanding athletes. There are people who ask, “Why is there a need to treat people as Koreans when they aren’t even Korean?” Some people express resistance by saying, “It is unreasonable to look for people of ‘Korean descent’ too much.”

The Jews were scattered to all directions through a history of thousands of years of suffering. But no matter where you are in the world, you are a Jew. They find blood in each other and take care of each other tenaciously. Demonstrates tremendous unity. That’s how scary the bloodline is.

Even if they are not Korean nationals or live in Korea, there are many people who cherish the fact that they have inherited Korean blood. There are also cases where people, like Murray, want to become representatives of Korea even if they are called ‘traitors’. They always show their utmost love for Korea, whether Korea recognizes it or not. In my heart, I always miss Korea. We must embrace them generously. They are all assets of the Korean people. Foreign media also refer to them as ‘Korean’. It’s not someone else’s. Why do we push them away?