Worth Bragging About: Filipino-American Excellence in U.S. Sports

Worth Bragging About: Filipino-American Excellence in U.S. Sports-Jason Myers 

When history is made on the biggest stage in American sports, it resonates far beyond the stadium. It echoes in living rooms, community halls, and family stories passed from one generation to the next. That is why the record-setting Super Bowl performance by Seattle Seahawks kicker Jason Myers, scoring 17 points in Super Bowl LX (2026)-the most ever by a kicker in a championship game, feels personal to many of us-Filipino-Americans. Five field goals, two extra points, and a moment forever etched in NFL history.

💚Myers is of Filipino descent through his great-grandfather, who was originally from the Philippines and immigrated to the United States via Pensacola, Florida, serving in the U.S. Navy(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Myers).

For many Filipino-Americans like me, moments like this are not just sports trivia. They are affirmations. I did not know this, because Myers was a complete unknown until his performance at Super Bowl LX last Sunday. 

As someone who has lived in the United States since the 1960s, I have seen how invisible Filipino-American contributions once were in mainstream sports. Today, those contributions are impossible to ignore and absolutely worth celebrating.

A Quiet Community, a Loud Impact

Filipino-Americans have often excelled without fanfare. We are not the loudest group, nor the most heavily marketed, but again and again, Filipino-American athletes have shown discipline, precision, and resilience, qualities deeply rooted in our culture.

Take Tim Lincecum, for example. The son of a Filipino mother, Lincecum became one of Major League Baseball’s most dominant pitchers, winning two Cy Young Awards and helping the San Francisco Giants to multiple World Series titles. His success challenged outdated ideas about what elite athletes are “supposed” to look like.

In basketball, Jordan Clarkson has become a household name. A Filipino-American guard in the NBA, Clarkson’s scoring brilliance earned him the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, while also making him a symbol of pride for Filipinos across the globe who love the game with unmatched passion.

Strength, Skill, and Representation

Combat sports have also been an area where Filipino-American athletes have stood tall. Boxers and mixed martial artists of Filipino heritage have built successful careers in the United States, combining technical skill with an almost spiritual toughness. Their stories often include immigrant parents, sacrifice, and a belief that excellence is the best form of gratitude.

In more recent years, Filipino-American athletes have also emerged in gymnastics, soccer, and collegiate sports, representing a new generation that is confident in both their American identity and their Filipino roots. They compete knowing they carry more than a jersey number, they carry history.

Why Jason Myers’ Moment Matters

That is why Jason Myers’ Super Bowl record matters beyond the box score. A kicker’s job is unforgiving. There are no second chances, no style points, just results. Under the brightest lights, he delivered perfection. That kind of calm under pressure is something many Filipino families recognize instantly. It is the same quiet determination our parents and grandparents brought with them when they arrived in this country.

For Filipino-Americans who grew up rarely seeing themselves reflected in American sports heroes, moments like this feel earned, not just by the athlete, but by the community.

A Legacy Still Being Written

The story of Filipino-Americans in U.S. sports is still unfolding. Each generation pushes a little further into visibility, respect, and leadership. From youth leagues to the Super Bowl, from neighborhood courts to Olympic arenas, the message is clear: we belong here.

So yes, this is worth bragging about.

Not out of arrogance, but out of gratitude. Gratitude for the journey, for the sacrifices made long before the trophies, and for the young Filipino-American athletes watching today, realizing that greatness is not something borrowed, it is something they can claim as their own.

And when history is made again and it will be, we will recognize it immediately. Because we have been waiting for it all along.

Meanwhile, here's the AI Overview on the Above Topic: 

Filipino-American athletes are making significant strides across U.S. sports, showcasing excellence in basketball, baseball, golf, and combat sports while blending cultural pride with elite performance. Notable figures like 

Jordan Clarkson, Kelsie Whitmore, and pioneering Olympians are breaking barriers, fostering representation, and strengthening the Filipino connection to American sporting culture. 

• 
  
• Basketball (NBA/Pros): NBA guard Jordan Clarkson (Utah Jazz) highlights Fil-Am talent, alongside emerging names like Jared McCain (Philadelphia 76ers). In the Philippines' professional league (PBA), Filipino-American Chris Newsome has achieved stardom as a 2024 Finals MVP.
• Baseball & Softball: Kelsie Whitmore made history as the first woman to sign with an Atlantic League team and the first pick in the inaugural Women's Pro Baseball League draft, becoming a trailblazer in American baseball.
• Olympic & Elite Sports: California-born Tallulah Proulx became the first female athlete to represent the Philippines in the Winter Olympics. Cyclist Coryn Rivera-Labecki is one of the most decorated American female cyclists, with over 72 national titles.
• Combat Sports & Others: Efren "Bata" Reyes is recognized as one of the greatest pool players of all time. NFL figures like Roman Gabriel (first Fil-Am quarterback) paved the way for current heritage representation in football.
• Cultural Impact: The rise of Filipino Heritage Nights in the NBA (Clippers, Warriors) and MLB (Dodgers, A's) highlights the growing visibility and community pride of Filipino-Americans in U.S. sports. 

These athletes represent a, resilient, and growing, influence in the American sporting landscape. 

💚Reading that sentence of Jason Myers Filipino Ancestry, 

made me dream that some day in the future one or two of my

great grandsons would also excel in sports. By doing so,

I would smile in my grave if their accomplishments could

be link to me, similar to what is written about Jason Myers 

Filipino-American ancestry above.      

🏅Here's some Filipino-Americans who excelled in Sports

1. Jason Myers (NFL – Seattle Seahawks)

• Filipino-American placekicker

• Super Bowl LX (2026): 17 points, most ever by a kicker in a championship game

• Set a Super Bowl record with five field goals

2. Manny Pacquiao (U.S. resident & cultural icon)

• Only boxer to win world titles in eight weight divisions

• Later became a global political and humanitarian figure

3. Tua Tagovailoa (NFL – Miami Dolphins)

• Quarterback of Samoan-Filipino descent

• One of the NFL’s most efficient passers

• Became a face of diversity at the quarterback position

4. Naomi Osaka (Filipino-Haitian heritage)

• Four-time Grand Slam champion

• One of the highest-paid female athletes in history

• Vocal advocate for mental health and social justice

5. Brandon Vera (UFC)

• Former UFC Heavyweight Champion

• First Filipino-American to win a UFC world title

The Symbolic Flight: Releasing Love Doves at Filipino Weddings

This posting is inspired from a recent inquiry from a neighbor here at THD. She asked me if I have written a blog on this topic. I said no, but I will do a search on it. I told her, yes we have 2 love doves and butterflies released and rice showered on my wedding day, May 8, 1957 in Boac, Marinduque, Philippines. Here's an article on this topic. Enjoy! 

The Symbolic Flight: Releasing Love Doves at Filipino Weddings

Weddings are filled with symbolism,  rituals and traditions that embody hope, love, and the promise of a shared life. One such tradition, particularly cherished in the Philippines, is the release of two white doves,  a moment many couples, families, and guests remember long after the day is over.

A Tradition Rooted in Meaning

At many traditional Filipino weddings, a pair of white doves, typically one male and one female are released by the bride and groom during the reception or at the end of the ceremony. As the couple opens the cage or basket and the doves take flight, they symbolize peace, harmony, love, and the beginning of a new life together. The two birds represent the couple’s journey as partners flying side by side into the unknown future with hope and unity. 

This beautiful moment isn’t just an aesthetic flourish; it reflects deeply held cultural values. In many cultures around the world (including the Philippines), doves have long been symbols of peace and fidelity. Their graceful flight becomes a metaphor for the couple’s aspirations: to live together in harmony and mutual support. 

Some celebrants also see the act of releasing doves as a way of letting go of the past and embarking on a new chapter, an uplifting visual that resonates with guests and creates lasting memories.

Where It Comes From

The tradition likely grew out of a blend of influences:

• Spanish and Catholic heritage: Catholic symbolism in the Philippines often uses the dove to represent peace and the Holy Spirit. While there isn’t a precise historical record pinpointing the exact origin of the wedding dove release, its incorporation into the wedding reception parallels the Philippines’ long Catholic tradition. 

• Universal symbolism: Around the world, doves have been used in ceremonies of union and peace from ancient rituals to modern celebrations. In the Philippines, the image of two birds flying together resonated with the collective cultural yearning for harmony in marriage. 

Then and Now - Is It Still Done Today?

During my wedding day in 1957, the dove release was definitely part of the wedding culture at the time and it continued to be a recognizable tradition for many decades. In weddings throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, releasing doves was fairly common at traditional Filipino receptions. 

However, like many long-standing customs, its popularity has evolved. In more recent weddings:

• Some couples still choose to include a dove release as a meaningful part of their celebration.

• Others opt out either replacing it with symbolic alternatives (like releasing butterflies, lanterns, or balloons, rice showers), or simply skipping it altogether because it’s not practical or meaningful to them.

• In some areas, modern wedding planners may offer dove release services, but they’re sometimes seen as optional rather than expected reflecting shifting tastes and priorities among younger couples. 

Indeed, conversations among people who recently planned weddings in the Philippines suggest that while the tradition still exists, many couples today consider it a more old-fashioned or optional touch, rather than a must-have ritual. 

A Tradition With Lasting Beauty

Whether embraced, adapted, or set aside, the tradition of releasing doves at Filipino weddings continues to capture the imagination of couples and their guests. Its essence, honoring love, peace, and hope for the future, remains timeless.

Just as weddings evolve with each generation, customs like this one remind us of the shared human desire to celebrate love in meaningful ways whether through birds taking flight or through new rituals created by each couple themselves.

Meanwhile, here's the AI Overview on the Above Topic:

Releasing white doves at Filipino weddings is a cherished, symbolic tradition where 

the newlyweds release a pair of doves to signify a long, peaceful, and harmonious life together. Representing purity, fidelity, and the Holy Spirit, the birds symbolize the couple's new journey, commitment, and, because doves mate for life, enduring love. 

Key aspects of this tradition include:

• Symbolism: The pair represents the bride and groom joining together, with their flight symbolizing the couple soaring to new heights, harmony, and prosperity.
• Ritual Action: Often held after the ceremony, the bride and groom hold and release the doves, signifying the release of their individual lives to start a new, shared life, trusting that they will always return home to each other.
• Spiritual Significance: In many Filipino ceremonies, the doves represent the presence of the Holy Spirit, blessing the marriage with peace and loyalty.
• Cultural Context: It serves as a popular,, elegant alternative to, or accompaniment to, the traditional rice shower, representing a,, "white dove release". 

• Meanwhile, here's the top five News of the Day:

  Mass Shooting at Canadian High School – Ten people, including the shooter, died after a gunman opened fire at a school in British Columbia, marking one of the deadliest school shootings in Canadian history. 

• No Charges Against Six Democrats – A federal grand jury declined to indict six Democratic political activists who urged military personnel to reject unlawful orders, in a case drawing intense national attention. 

• FBI Documents Reveal Georgia Election Office Raid Rationale – Newly released FBI records provide insight into what led agents to conduct a controversial raid on a Georgia elections office. 

• Trump Issues Warning to Canada Over Bridge Opening – U.S. President Trump has threatened to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge to Canada, escalating bilateral tensions. 

• Samsung Confirms Galaxy Unpacked Event – Samsung officially schedules its Galaxy Unpacked event for February 25 in San Francisco, expected to unveil its flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphone.

  My Photo of the Day:

  
  Parts of My Caps Collection: 
  

  
  

  
  

Can AI Generate New Ideas? A Late-Life Reflection

This posting is inspired from my readings on AI Apps: Can AI Generate New Ideas? 

Lately, I’ve been asked a question that would have sounded like science fiction not too long ago: Can artificial intelligence generate new ideas? It’s a fair question and one that carries a deeper unease beneath it. For those of us who have spent decades thinking, writing, building careers, raising families, and reflecting on our place in the world, the question isn’t merely technical. It’s personal.

The short answer is yes, AI can generate ideas. But the longer, more honest answer is this: AI can generate ideas without ever understanding why they matter.

At this stage of life, many of us know that ideas are not born in a vacuum. They come from experience, often hard experience. From failure that humbled us. From love that reshaped us. From loss that slowed us down and forced us to pay attention. AI has none of this. It has no memory of risk taken or regret carried. No sense of time running shorter. No awareness of legacy.

What AI does remarkably well is combine. It takes what already exists, millions of voices, arguments, metaphors, and facts and rearranges them with astonishing speed. Sometimes the results feel fresh, even insightful. But this is not the same as wisdom. It is pattern recognition, not reflection.

Those of us in our later chapters know the difference.

True ideas, the ones that stay with us are not merely clever. They are costly. They ask something of us. They are shaped by the long arc of a life lived with intention, contradiction, and uncertainty. AI does not sit quietly with unanswered questions. It does not wrestle with purpose after retirement, or with relevance in a world that seems to be moving on without us.

And yet, I don’t see AI as a threat to this kind of thinking. I see it as a mirror and sometimes a catalyst.

Used wisely, AI can help us clarify what we already know but haven’t yet articulated. It can help organize our thoughts, challenge our assumptions, and even provoke new questions. But the meaning, the moral weight, the emotional truth still belongs to us.

There is something important here for older readers to remember: our value was never rooted in speed or novelty. It was rooted in judgment, perspective, and the ability to see beyond the moment. No machine, no matter how advanced, can replace a lifetime of lived context and experience.

If anything, this moment in history is an invitation. An invitation to lean into what only humans, especially seasoned humans can offer: discernment, memory, and depth. AI may help us write faster. But it cannot tell us what is worth writing about.

And that question, what truly matters now is one we are uniquely qualified to answer.

In the end, AI may generate ideas. But meaning is still handcrafted, one reflective life at a time.

A Closing Benediction

May you trust that the years behind you have not diminished your voice, but deepened it.
May you remember that wisdom does not compete with technology, it outlasts it.
May your questions remain alive, even when answers grow quieter.
And may you continue to shape meaning not by how quickly you adapt to the future,
but by how faithfully you carry forward what only a lived life can teach.

May your remaining chapters be written with clarity, humility, and grace,
and may you never doubt that your reflections still matter,
perhaps now more than ever.

Meanwhile, here's the AI Overview on the Above Topic:

AI can generate novel combinations of existing ideas by remixing vast datasets, acting as a powerful creative partner that speeds up ideation, identifies patterns, and handles routine tasks, freeing humans for deeper strategic work

. However, current AI lacks consciousness, lived experience, and true originality; it synthesizes, not originates, leading to concerns about homogenizing thought. A "late-life reflection" might see AI as a tool to amplify human intuition, sparking unexpected directions, but emphasizing that wisdom, context, and ethical application remain distinctly human responsibilities for true innovation. 

How AI Generates "New" Ideas

• Pattern Recognition & Synthesis: AI excels at identifying and recombining patterns from massive datasets (books, articles, code) in ways humans might miss, creating unique outputs.
• Divergent Thinking: It can quickly generate many possibilities and variations, acting as a brainstorming partner.
• Data-Driven Insights: AI can find non-obvious connections in complex data, aiding discovery in fields like medicine or science. 

Limitations & The Human Role

• No True Originality: AI doesn't have consciousness, emotions, or personal experiences, so its "creativity" is based on statistical inference, not genuine understanding or intent.
• Homogenization Risk: Over-reliance on the same large datasets can lead to similar, less original outputs, potentially dulling human creativity.
• The Need for Human Oversight: Human intuition, cultural context, ethical judgment, and the ability to refine ideas into something meaningful and resonant are crucial. 

The "Late-Life" Perspective (Using AI with Wisdom)

• AI as a Catalyst: View AI as a tool to accelerate the initial, often messy, stages of idea generation, freeing up cognitive space for deeper thinking.
• Focus on Depth: Use AI to handle speed and breadth, allowing humans to focus on wisdom, depth, and ensuring ideas align with human values and goals.
• Intentional Partnership: The real innovation comes from the human-AI loop—AI proposes, humans refine, adding context, experience, and the "why" behind the idea. 

• Demystifying AI: Turning Fear Into Understanding

  Demystifying AI means stripping away the fear, hype, and technical fog that surround artificial intelligence and replacing them with clear, human understanding. AI is often portrayed as either a magical solution to every problem or a looming threat to humanity. In reality, it is neither. At its core, AI is a set of tools created by humans, trained on human data, and guided—wisely or poorly—by human values. Demystifying AI means explaining what it can do, what it cannotdo, and, most importantly, how it fits into everyday life: from medicine and transportation to writing, art, and decision-making. When people understand AI as an assistant rather than an oracle, they regain a sense of agency. Knowledge replaces anxiety, curiosity replaces fear, and society can have a more honest conversation about how to use AI responsibly, ethically, and for the common good.

• My Photo of the Day:
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  The Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona 

• Here's the top Five News of the Day

  1) Ghislaine Maxwell invokes the Fifth Amendment in House Oversight deposition
  Ghislaine Maxwell repeatedly invoked her constitutional rights during a closed-door deposition before the House Oversight Committee, refusing to answer questions in the ongoing investigation. 

  2) U.S. judge blocks Trump administration’s deportation effort
  A federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, finding insufficient evidence to support the removal order. 

  3) Russia won’t attack NATO this year, intelligence chief says
  A senior European intelligence official stated that Russia is unlikely to launch an attack on NATO this year or next, though Moscow plans to bolster its military forces. 

  4) Serena Williams cleared to return to professional tennis
  Legendary tennis star Serena Williams has been cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency to return to professional competition starting February 22, 2026, fueling comeback speculation. 

  5) Five major national & global stories highlighted today
  Additional top stories from national and international news include geopolitical developments, policy decisions, and worldwide events shaping current affairs (summary from leading news roundup).

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