Indeed we were the only non Asians at that place in San Jose. Our friend Hang is from China. Didn’t see many tall people there like that team from China, more like the Chew brothers. Those smashes from the back, that I recall. We too often tried to do that up close, like volleyball, and it’s hard to avoid net fouls. Eye opening.
If you ask people in Asia about American football most will just give you that puzzled blind look. Most people worldwide don't get American football. Badminton is much easier to explain.
I play a ton of tennis now and volleyball during my younger days. Recently, I also started playing pickleball which is also a lot of fun. Pickleball is kind of like Badminton as well. Badminton takes a lot less space than tennis and volleyball, and it is easier on your body especially when you get older. You just need 2 people, and it can be a great workout if you are at a higher level. While you don't have to be super tall, but you need to have great timing and great hand eye coordination. As you get to higher levels, it helps to be tall since you are smashing the shuttlecock down from the back. It is also a great social sport like tennis.
Really wish they promote this more in this country since it is much less injury prone vs. sports like football and basketball. Like I said, you just need 2 people to play and a small court. It is also very easy to explain to someone how to play. It is also far cheaper to set up this sport vs. many others.
