Gloomy celebration
Like a typical Filipino venture, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is fond of celebrating milestones.
From small wins to championships, the league always makes sure to bring on the cheers, not just to inspire its players, but also to mirror our tradition and culture of being grateful for whatever feat we accomplished.
That’s why it was truly heartbreaking to learn that there was no fanfare when the league celebrated its 46th anniversary last Friday.
Usually, the PBA celebrates it with a bang. In fact, when it staged its 44th anniversary in 2019, it treated fans to a month-long celebration by offering discounted tickets and a lot of freebies.
This year, it’s completely different.
Save for a statement from PBA chair Ricky Vargas in which he mixed sports with politics by challenging China to a best-ofseven series at the height of the tension in the West Philippine Sea, nothing much was heard from the league to signify its joy for reaching 46 years of existence.
The way I see it, it’s not because the PBA is taking this momentous occasion for granted. Nope. Never.
It’s simply because top league officials are already stressed out as they face a tough battle of how to restart their season amid the rising number of coronavirus infections in the country.
The fact that the PBA is still in existence amid the outbreak of this catastrophic disease is already enough to give basketball-crazy Filipinos a small reason to hope.
It is no secret that the coronavirus is already right at our own doorsteps.
Our social media timeline had already turned into a virtual obituary with friends and relatives dying left and right after contracting the disease.
The PBA is also on the same boat.
Three weeks ago, I was told that players, coaches and personnel from nine of the 12 teams had tested positive. It didn’t only stop the group training and preparation of at least three teams, but it also made the league realize that holding a closed-circuit concept would be very tough.
But the bubble setup is something that the PBA is trying to avoid. When it staged a bubble tourney last year, it spent a whopping P65 million for the food, accommodation and transportation of players, coaches and officials from 12 teams for more than two months.
I heard the financial return wasn’t encouraging as well as there were no ticket sales to speak of while the revenue from the television advertising had also gone south compared to previous years. Aside from that, teams are also frowning on playing inside a bubble as it takes a toll on the mental health of the players, especially since some of them would be leaving behind their young families.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that this pandemic is truly the biggest threat to the existence of the PBA.
The PBA is more than just basketball.
The league may have survived the challenges of martial law, the political instability of EDSA Revolution and the economic slide of the Asian financial crisis, but this pandemic is a different kind of monster.
It’s not just wreaking havoc on the economy, but also claiming lives, sowing fear with a terrifying statement that nobody is safe, even the healthiest, most popular athletes like basketball players.
But the PBA also has to restart.
It has to tip off to give Filipinos something to cheer for, something that would remind them that there is still hope despite the fact that the virus had already claimed thousands of lives.
The PBA is more than just basketball.
It is the country’s national pastime. It brings a sense of normalcy. It transports us back to the days when there was no need to wear a mask and the word “quarantine” was nothing but just a mere medical term.
Having the league stopped for one whole year will not only make it irrelevant, but would also make us admit that the pandemic had prevailed over us and took away our one last hope — basketball.
Sure, there was no fancy celebration during the league’s 46th anniversary.
But it’s okay.
The fact that the PBA is still in existence amid the outbreak of this catastrophic disease is already enough to give basketball-crazy Filipinos a small reason to hope.