MPBL good for country but will it last?

FROM just ten teams in the inaugural tournament early this year, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) of boxing great and Philippine senator Manny Pacquiao grew to 26 in a span of a few months. The newest semi-pro basketball league opened its second tournament of the season just last week, on Independence Day. This is without a doubt a great blessing to this hoops-loving nation. It not only gives local communities something to be passionate about, it also provides hundreds of jobs. Ballers of all ages, even eras, have come out to play for the different squads. Even Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) great Marlou Aquino came out of retirement to suit up for the Bulacan Kuyas in the Anta Rajah Cup. It’s like a reunion/all-star game for former pros and collegiate stars. It’s amazing, to say the least.

This on-going tournament is surely exciting with so many participating teams divided into two conferences – the Northern and Southern conferences. Thirteen teams crowd the Northern conference namely the Bataan Risers, Bulacan Kuyas, Caloocan Supremos, Makati Skyscrapers, Mandaluyong El Tigre, Manila Stars, Navotas Clutch, Pampanga Lanterns, Pasay Voyagers, Pasig Pirates, Quezon City Capitals, San Juan Knights and Valenzuela Classic. For the Southern Conference, the teams are the Bacoor Strikers, Basilan Steel, Batangas City Athletics, Cebu City Sharks, Davao Occidental Tigers, General Santos Warriors, Imus Bandera, Laguna Heroes, Marikina Shoemasters, Muntinlupa Cagers, Parañaque Patriots, Rizal Crusaders and Zamboanga Valientes. Among the current coaches are PBA legends Jerry Codinera, Jojo Lastimosa and Philip Cezar. Batangas, which is bankrolled by giant rum brand Tanduay and coached by Mac Tan, won the like Val Acuna and NCAA stars Tey Teodoro and Bong Quinto. Former PBA stars Kenneth Duremdes and Zaldy Realubit lead the league’s management as commissioner and COO respectively.

But as great as the MPBL is, the next question is “Will it last?” We’ve seen so many similar leagues before that all started very well years or less. The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), which was co-owned by TV network giant ABS-CBN and designed to years, luring so many PBA stars to jump ships. - spite its stable membership comprised of the country’s wealthiest business entities. But even the great MBA could not sustain its operations when ABS CBN pulled the plug. It shut down in the middle of the 2002 season and expired permanently. Other leagues tried to duplicate the MBA’s feat like the National Basketball League (NBL), National Basketball Conference (NBC), United Regional Basketball League (URBL), Mindanao-Vizayas Basketball League (MVBL) and the Liga Pilipinas, but could not beat the two-year mark. The Liga Pilipinas even became creative by introducing a unique tournament format with home-and-away games but lesser costs—holding mini tournaments called “Legs” within a conference. It looked great for three conferences but the operational costs still caught up and forced the league to terminate operations for good.

the other threat to the prolonged existence of these leagues is the political aspect of it. Politicians are eager to fund their local teams because it helps enhance their campaigns during elections. The team serves as political endorsers and ambassadors for politicians. After the elections, many of them lose interest in maintaining the teams. Or the new city mayor would rather use the funds for something else.

Reports say the MPBL asked for membership and tournament fees that amount to Ten Million Pesos. With 26 teams, the league should have collected 260 million if the report was true. This is surely enough to hold the games for perhaps two years, and with TV coverage from ABS CBN. But are teams willing to pay this amount each year?

I don’t mean to be a doomsayer. But sadly, I’ve seen so many of these leagues come and go. I do wish for the MPBL to go a long way for the sake of all stakeholders, especially the players and coaches, and the fans.