When I wrote a full-length, three-page story on Filipinos’ passion for basketball more than a decade ago, I was reminded once again that majority of today’s generation of Filipino basketball players, if given a choice between playing for flag and country or playing for a PBA team, would surely choose the latter.
Factors to consider: poor economic background of an aspiring basketball player; player agent’s influence to sing contract with a commercial ball club; presence of talent scouts in collegiate game venues; constant media exposure plus the write-up or media mileage they get when they get covered by TV and print…
Today’s basketball has certainly evolved in epic proportion compared to the heydays of national basketball greats like Carlos “Big Difference” Loyzaga, Ramoncito Campos, Ed Ocampo, etc.
Of course, no one among us would really know these three guys I mentioned unless you are a really, serious and fanatic Philippine basketball follower.
But these basketball heroes of the bygone era were like the PBA heroes of today.
They were also loved by their adoring basketball fans, especially after their stint with the national team, where instead, of bringing home a club championship, clutching on their necks were the gold medals they just won in the Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) men’s (today’s FIBA Asia Men’s) championships or the Asian Games.
On the other hand, today’s PBA heroes are focused on their goal—that is, to win the PBA championship, which when achieved, would be given to their commercial team’s big boss for display at his posh corporate office.
Nothing wrong with that. PBA players are simply doing their jobs as professional basketball players. They are paid to play anyway.
Just wondering what has happened to our national passion—that of representing the national team without even thinking twice.
Caloy Loyzaga used to say, “Before, playing for the national team is what we dreamed about when we were young…”
I’m convinced something must change within before we could see a major turnaround in our Philippine basketball team.
For now, basketball-loving Filipinos have to endure the shame our country is experiencing at the hands of their foreign counterparts.
Photo sources: www.pba.com; www.joecaps.com/uploadedpics