Remembering the MBA

N.M. Cabangbang

Who among us remembers the Metro Ball Association (MBA) ? It was a
basketball league spearheaded by ABS-CBN that followed the NBA format. Cebu
City had a team, it was named Cebu Gems. The league did not last that long
but proof of the league that it existed can still be seen today through the
players it has helped. Such players are Dondon Hontiveros, Willie Miller and
Alex Compton.

The MBA never really did last long and I believe it really never had the
chance to succeed because of the presence of the Philiipine Baksetball
Association (PBA).Compared to the PBA, I was a staunch supporter of the MBA
and its format. I was and still am not a fan of the PBA. This is because
the PBA is based in Manila and the teams are named after companies. So it
became difficult for me to support one team because I am not a fan of the
companies in it. I don’t drink San Miguel or Ginebra, I drink Red Horse. I
don’t drink Alaska, I drink Bear Brand. Then when it comes to energy drinks,
I like the brand Sting more than Red Bull. Then when it comes to soft
drinks, I have stopped drinking them and if I do I would go for Sprite or a
root beer. I also do not live in Sta. Lucia and have no plans to live in such a
place someday. Then when it comes to other teams, I also do not endorse or
support any of their companies or products.

I just do not have a personal connection to these companies so I don’t see
why I should be a die hard supporter for their basketball teams. If I would
support the PBA and which is what usually happens to other people also is
that, Filipinos like me support players and not the team. I liked Purefoods
once because of Alvin Patrimonio. Then a lot of us liked Ginebra because of
Robert Jaworski. This same type of show of support is also what happens when
we watch the NBA. Because we do not have a personal connection to their
teams, we support the players and not the team. That is why, fans of Kevin
Garnett who once played for the Mineesota Timberwolves are now rooting for
the Boston Celtics because he is now in the team. Then a lot of us did not
care about the Clevleand Cavaliers but when Lebron James started playing for
the team, we then instantly started showing interest for the Cavaliers.

Supporting players is a different thing when it comes to supporting the
teams. Because when such a player retires, then interest will wane. But if
we have a personal connection to teams in the MBA or UAAP, even if the
players change, even if it is a losing season, we still care for and support the
team.

So with the Metroball which followed the NBA format, it was a whole
different thing. I know Dondon Hontiveros was a batch mate of mine from Don
Bosco but he was not all the reason why I supported the Cebu Gems. Because
it was all obvious and clear, I live in Cebu and I was excited that Cebu had
a basketball team fighting against other teams from other regions. MBA was
really great until it lasted.

I really did believe that the MBA could have survived if it merged with the
PBA which never happened. I don’t believe that the MBA died because of the
travel expenses and all because they could just have gotten a lot of
sponsors from it. Sponsors that they could have gotten especially if they
merged with the PBA. I did not even care if they started printing their
sponsors names on their uniforms because this is what the European football
leagues do. So that did not matter for me as long as the name of the team
still brought the name of the city they represented.

Though Liga Pilipinas is a league right now that follows what the MBA did,
it just is not the same when it has no big coverage like the MBA had because
it was covered and shown by the national channel, ABS-CBN. So it is just
different.

Right now, I am still hoping that the PBA would change its format into the one
NBA has now. It would really showcase a lot of the regions and other cities.
It would be good for tourism too. But given the fact that it had its chance
with the MBA, I just do not believe this thing will happen.

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Will We Ever Have a Filipino NBA Player?

N.M. Cabangbang

This September 11, 2009, the NBA legends will battle with the PBA legends at the Araneta Coliseum. For this basketball-loving country, this sure will be an awesome event. NBA legends such as Dominique Wilkins, Tim Hardaway, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be coming. The PBA All stars have Alvin Patrimonio, Allan Caidic and Benjie Paras lined up. The team is said to be coached by Robert Jaworski himself. With the NBA stars coming to our country, one can’t help but wonder, yet again, “Will we ever have a Filipino NBA player?”

This question, this dream, is one of the greatest desires of all basketball-loving Filipinos; to have a Filipino play in the NBA. A lot of other countries have already done it. China has Yao Ming, Spain has Pau Gasol and Germany has Dirk Nowitzki. In fact, back then, Johnny Abarrientos was hyped to be going to the NBA but that never happened. The only “pinoy” who ever achieved such a status was Raymond Townsend, the first Filipino-American to play in the NBA. Raymond Townsend was a 6’3″ 175-lb point guard and played in the NBA for four years from 1978 to 1982.

So why, despite all the international players coming in to the NBA, don’t we still have a Filipino player in the NBA?

There are two reasons for this. First off, we have to first understand that basketball, in order for it to be very effective needs taller players. In the Philippine Basketball Association, the tallest guys are around 6′ 6″ or 6’7″ and they play the center position. In the NBA, being 6’6″ would land you the shooting guard position, which is Michael Jordan’s designation. If you are 6′ 8″, then you would be like a Lebron James, playing small forward. Then when it comes to the point guard position, ours are in the 5’7″ to 5’9″ height. NBA point guards are in the 6’0″ to 6’2″ height. The 6’0″ height in our country would be playing shooting guard. Yes, we have heard of Spud Webb and Nate Robinson playing in the NBA, these guys are at 5’7″ and 5’9″. But these guys are exemptions to the rule. These guys can also dunk the ball easily, which I have not seen in any of our local 5’7″ point guards can do.

The height discrepancy alone already shows us that Filipino players with the same height as NBA players are playing a different position compared to their NBA counterparts. This situation simply means they are tall and we are short.

That is why it will be difficult for us to have a Filipino NBA player. As the height discrepancy shows, our players will be facing a lot of difficulties. For one, they are trained locally for one particular position, which would be useless in the NBA league as that player would most likely end up in a different position from the one he has at home. Our 6’2″ players, for example, are playing the shooting guard position. But when they would arrive in the NBA, they would be asked to play the point guard position. Then our 6’8″ players are playing the center position, which in the NBA would be playing the small forward positions. That would mean adjustments because different positions need different skills. Then compared to American and European players who have been playing the point guard and forward position since high school or college, they no longer need to adjust because they are NBA-ready. So there is no need for the NBA to look for players from the Philippines when American, European and other Asian players are much suited and fit for the physical demands of the league.

The second reason is because of the market reasons. You have to admit it, one of the reasons why Yao Ming was drafted by the NBA is because of the money he also brings in. Yao Ming opened up basketball to China, thus paving the way for brands such as Nike and Reebok to expand their market. When Yao Ming and fellow Chinese player Yi Jianlian battled it out on a regular NBA game, the game received a higher rating, way higher than the Super Bowl. And this was just a regular game, not the NBA finals. And we all know that higher ratings mean more sponsors, and ultimately, more money coming in. Now, when it comes to the Philippines, the NBA no longer needs to expand its market to us. With or without a Filipino NBA player, we will still be buying Nike, Adidas, or any American brand. That is the beauty of American colonization. It made us want American products more without prodding. And what about European players? The NBA is taking in European players for the same reason: market expansion. And, well, yes for their players’ skills in the hard court.

So you see, Filipinos being short and the NBA no longer needing to expand to the Philippine market are two powerful reasons that justify the lack of Filipino representation in the NBA. Now, is this the end of the road for all of us? Are we to lose hope? Is it really impossible to have a Filipino NBA player?

Now, I say it is unlikely, but that does not mean it cannot be done. So what is a Filipino basketball player going to do if he really wants to be in the NBA?

For starters and this may sound very far-fetched is that he better start hoping that Filipinos stop playing basketball fanatically and stop buying American basketball products. Why? Because this will pressure American companies to go look for a Filipino player to be its NBA ambassador to us. An NBA Filipino player/ambassador would then convince us to start buying NBA products again thus expanding their market. But again this solution may seem way too extreme.

A more pragmatic approach would be to let 6’2″ players be point guards and correspondingly let 6’8″ players play small forward so that they so would be preparing themselves for the NBA game. This would also mean that such players would need to master the skills needed for their positions. For point guards, it would be dribbling and passing. For the small forward position, it would be dribbling and slashing abilities. Now one dilemma I am foreseeing is that if professional players such as Ildefonso and Raymundo would play the small forward position, then who is going to play the power forward and center position? Such a dilemma would really put the PBA in a mess.

So you see, it is a very difficult task for a Filipino player to play at the NBA. His skills, his height, and the position he plays in is just not compatible for the NBA game and standards. The easiest way to do it is to have a Filipino-American play in the NBA, like what Raymond Townsend did. A Filipino-American player that has an American college experience will have a lot of advantage as this will prepare him for the NBA game.

The chances of a Filipino player going to the NBA becomes achievable when a player starts young. Meaning, his parents better start exposing him to the game. Now this means two things, either the parent starts exposing his kids to the PBA game or he starts exposing his kids to the NBA game because again, the two game types are very different. A young kid who starts growing tall among other kids would mean he would start playing center. This is one case of preparing your son for the PBA game. On the other hand, if parents, in the same situation, opts to a parent let his “tall” son play point guard or small forward instead of the expected “center” position, then his parents are preparing him for the NBA leagues.

Such a decision would be very difficult, because it is much easier for young kids to prepare for the PBA game than the NBA. The NBA game has its risks too. I mean, let’s say that the child has been trained for the shooting guard position for most of his life, but manages to reach 6’5″. By PBA standards, this kid should be playing center. Now, what if, despite being NBA-ready, that kid fails to get drafted. The only probable way to go is for this kid to return to the Philippines, where, as height dictates, he should play center.

But then again, with all the basketball opportunities, that is not much a problem. He can still play in the PBA and play like a center who has the skills of a shooting guard. If that does not work, then he can go to play in the Euro league or something. Besides, if he is really that good, basketball offers will always come.

So, to all fathers who have high basketball hopes for their sons, better start deciding how you groom him athletically. Where he will be going: PBA or NBA?

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Basketball As A National Sport

N.M. Cabangbang

Presently, Powerade-Team Pilipinas is battling it out with other Asian countries at the 25th FIBA Asia Championship. We may have a chance of grabbing a berth in the 2010 World Basketball Championship in Turkey. However, chances are slim with regards to bringing home the top prize. On face value, there is totally nothing wrong with that. I thought so at first too. But then I heard about the ardent support of major sponsors and media giants. That’s a strange situation, if you ask me. I mean, even if it is apparent that the National basketball team is not sure to win it all, it continues to receive the full backing of the country’s biggest honchos.

For a lot of us athletes of different sports, this sounds quite unfair. Basketball still lords over the other sports. Basketball is still the “super sport” despite the fact that we, Filipinos, are not physically built or built to fit the demands of the game. Heck, basketball is even more popular than Sipa, which is the listed Philippine national sport! On that account, we may not know it yet, but basketball in this country is clearly the National sport.

The national sport of every country is supposed to be a reflection of its culture and of its people. This is evident in the fact that America loves their American football so much. American football speaks so much about Americans.

Americans are mostly big and they love being physical on the field. They place an emphasis on brute force and strength. They live for the thrill of fast-paced, hard-hitting action. Now, look at American Football. Doesn’t it have all these qualities?

Then, there’s Canada, which has hockey as their national sport. This is completely understandable because hockey is a sport that thrives in sufficiently cold countries.

Now, look at us Filipinos. We eat, live, breathe basketball. But hold up. Doesn’t anyone think that basketball is not an accurate reflection of our culture and of our people? I do think so. And I’ll tell you why.

First of all, we Filipinos, generally, are short people. No offense. Basketball, in order for it to be very effective, needs tall men. In the Philippine Basketball Association, the tallest guys are around 6′ 6″ or 6’7″ and they play the center position. In the NBA, if you have the height of 6’6″, you would be playing shooting guard, Michael Jordan’s and Kobe Bryant’s position. If you were 6′ 8″, then you would be akin to a Lebron James or a Scottie Pippen, who both play small forward. This height discrepancy and the incompatibility of height and position alone already make you wonder why we are playing this sport a lot.

Then when it comes to the point guard position, our point guards are in the 5’7″ to 5’9″ height. In the NBA, point guards are in the 6’0″ or 6’2″ height bracket. The 6’0″ height in our country would be playing shooting guard. Yes, we have heard of Spud Webb and Nate Robinson playing in the NBA, who are at 5’7″ and 5’9″ respectively. But these guys are exemptions to the rule. These guys can also dunk the ball easily, a feat that I have not seen any of our local point guards do.

Moreover, most part of our country is rural, which means it would be easy to play football or volleyball on fields than wait for a cemented basketball court to be put up. Chess, billiards, martial arts, and boxing would also be very easy to learn as it costs less. Yet even with all the disadvantages aforementioned, we still focus our attentions on basketball.

In my barangay alone, I have already seen 6 basketball courts. Then there are also many barangay-sponsored basketball leagues the whole year. None of these things are happening to other sports. Just think about it. What if, players such as Asi Taulava and Danny Ildefonso would shift to a sport such as boxing, then we would possibly have contenders for the heavyweight crown and not only at the middleweight ranks. Idlefonso and Taulava are at around the 6’6″ to 6’8″ that would be even pretty big because Holyfield was only 6’1″ and Mike Tyson is 5’11″. These players could also try venturing in to mixed martial arts which is now becoming a popular sport.

Given their size, they could have played Rugby football too. My friend from U.P. Cebu, Jethro Estimo plays the game Rugby football, and his height is around 6′ 0″. And similar to football and volleyball, Rugby football just needs a field and a ball to start playing. Just imagine that, if a lot of tall and big Filipino athletes just stopped playing basketball and focused on other sports then we could have bigger chances of winning in other endeavors.

Then of course, we all know that even without the height we can still excel in other sports. Playing Football is one of them. Diego Maradona, the Argentian football star is just 5’4″ while the legendary football player Pele is at 5’8″; these are measurements well within the average Filipino height.

So why do we still keep on playing basketball even when it proves to be a disadvantage for us? Well, we thank American colonization for that. America brought basketball to our shores and since then we have been fanatics about the game. And if a national sport reflects culture then for Filipinos to be playing basketball speaks a lot about our Westernized culture. Basketball symbolizes for us, the hopes of wanting to be American citizens or reaching the American dream. We all want to be white. Playing basketball is one way we can be “white.” Just like patronizing fast food or using whitening products, basketball might not be all that good, but this is our little way of becoming Western.

Basketball is also a symbol of us pleasing our American brethren. We are desperate to get their attention. This ill-fitted patronage of basketball is our skewed way of showing that so-called Pinoy brand of hospitality to them. We think that focusing on other sports is treachery; that the shift of sports taste might offend them. It might offend the American companies if we stop buying their basketball shoes and jerseys. It might offend them that we have acquired the understanding that basketball was just not made for the Filipino. This is what basketball symbolizes for us and until there is a clear understanding of our culture and of Philippine-American relationships, basketball will still lord over the other sports.

Do not get me wrong, I love basketball, especially when it is played on the pro-levels such as the National Basketball Association. However, the system that is placed on the Philippines of focusing too much on basketball has left out the other sports.

This is unfair.

Other sports need support, too. Filipinos have a higher rate of winning sports that do not require height such as football, boxing, billiards, chess, martial arts, badminton, and bowling. This is supposed to be as clear as day, yet it remains to be so obscure to many of us. For that, we thank American colonization.

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