PBA: improving the product
WHILE the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) has been in existence for a good four decades now, challenges continue to persist which officials are not shying away from but instead taking head-on, knowing fully that through it they are only going to make the league stronger.
Currently, foremost of the tests Asia’s first play-for-pay league is facing is how to bring back fans to the games, with gate receipts the PBA recognizes could be better.
Last season, the PBA reported that gate receipts breached the P200-million mark, translating to a 3% increase from the previous year.
The numbers were greatly pulled up by the PBA’s decision to play the final three games of the Governors’ Cup finals between the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Meralco Bolts in the mammoth Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
The move proved to be a blockbuster one with Game Five of the finals attracting 36,445 fans then 53,642 in Game Six and 54,086 in the rubber match Game Seven.
Despite finishing with a gain in gate receipts, league governor Al Panlilio of Meralco said the PBA no doubt has some shaping-up to do to attract the fans back.
“Our concern really is how to bring back fans to the games. We’ve noticed that the crowd attendance has gone down and maybe the interest is waning. At the end of the day it’s the product which is the PBA and we need to take a look at how we can attract the fans back and entice new ones, the younger generation,” Mr. Panlilio said in a recent interview with BusinessWorld.
“We want to see once again the Crispa-Toyota days when the game venues were filled. That’s the task that we need to look at moving forward,” he added.
The Meralco official went on to say that they should also look at the bylaws of the league and if necessary make the needed reforms so as to have the league stand on firmer footing and avoid conflicts within the organization in the future.
Recently the PBA Board of Governors was embroiled in an impasse over the standing of erstwhile league commissioner Chito Narvasa.
Just after the culmination of Season 42, seven teams, namely TNT KaTropa, Alaska Aces, Blackwater Elite, Meralco, NLEX Road Warriors, Rain or Shine Elasto Painters and Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters, citing “loss of confidence” over “questionable” decisions of Mr. Narvasa, including giving the go- ahead to the deal that sent the number one pick in the recent rookie draft from the Kia Picanto to the powerhouse San Miguel Beermen which turned to be big man Christian Standhardinger, called for his outright resignation.
Five teams — San Miguel, Barangay Ginebra, Magnolia Hotshots, Kia and GlobalPort Batang Pier — meanwhile, batted for Mr. Narvasa’s retention until due process had been done.
Mr. Narvasa has since stepped down and the PBA is set to come up with a search committee tasked to look for the next commissioner.
Right now officer-in-charge of the league is media bureau chief Willie Marcial.
“It was really difficult,” said Mr. Panlilio of the impasse the board was in.
“The group was really divided; views were different. But the thing is we never gave up. We wanted it to work out for the fans and our stakeholders and we needed to resolve it,” he added.
Mr. Panlilio further said that the board is now united albeit some healing needs to be done.
“We are now united but, of course, some healing needs to happen. And it already has begun. Like in any family there are misunderstandings and we need to work it out because we are better off as a group,” he said.
Season 43 of the PBA started on Dec. 17 and is to resume on Sunday, Jan. 7, after taking a week-long break for the New Year celebration.