A Wasted Basketball League

It was 1998,  the year that I had just finished my 6th grade. There was a professional basketball league in the Philippines called Metropolitan Basketball Association or MBA. The teams  represents a city, province or island not a product or business company.

Fourteen years after, I surfed the net for some images that will help me for some photo editing and among the images that were loaded was the MBA logo (seen on the left side).

Then I told myself, "Sayang to...". 

This league has potentials of being a basketball league in the country that has a magnitude of an NBA type of league. The league brought basketball closer to the people because their respective places were represented as a team. The league also contributes to tourism of a certain province or city. Since, the beautiful scenery or tourist spot were featured during breaktime of the leagues' broadcast.

The league was broadcast by a powerhouse company ABS-CBN. That made MBA reached the people and its supporter easily with its broadcasting capability.

MBA made noise that even PBA players transferred to MBA which gave players higher salaries.

PBA superstars were also rumored about joining an MBA team. Some of them did just that.

Everything seems good until year 2002 when ABS-CBN withdrew funding for the league. Then everything fell apart.

What happen to MBA? some said that it was not well managed. Some said that the expenses was really high that its very hard to maintain.

Whatever reason there was, MBA is a wasted basketball league. In fact, it is a great basketball league that was defunct.

PBA is also a good league, with its 37 years of existence and history nobody will question it. Especially now that it is reviving, people are more involve which is evident in its increased of income and all that. In fact, I'm a PBA supporter and a B-MEG fan (now SANMIG COFFEE MIXERS).

PBA teams represents companies, the league should be called PRODUCT BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION instead of PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION. 

I have nothing against PBA.

I think there should be a system revamp (some sort of it..) of the league since it is called PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION then stand for it.

People in provinces don't even care about PBA, the reasons?...

1.-They don't own the company that the team represents, why bother.

2.-They are not living in a place called BARANGAY GINEBRA or BARAKO BULL.

3.-I'd rather support NBA teams since we have a relative in CHICAGO.

I love PBA. I guess if the management of PBA today was handling MBA before, I think it was a success it will not defunct.

PBA Management/Supporters + MBA type of teams/idea = NBA type of league in the PHILIPPINES.

Can you imagine the impact...the supporters...the market. BOOOM!..

Yes, the market will increased..because there will be more people involved..people that are living in areas or places that the teams will be representing. 

GOOD for BASKETBALL

GOOD for PBA

GOOD for TOURISM

GOOD for BUSINESS/MARKET

most of all

GOOD for the PEOPLE!

GILAS PILIPINAS: PUSONG PINOY!

The recently concluded 34th JONES CUP was a success. Especially for us Filipinos.

The Smart Gilas Team Pilipinas V.2.0 won the tournament by a come-from-behind win against the enormous and athletic team of USA. Yes...you read it right, against United States of America.

All tournament long, Team Pilipinas battled with a huge heart. Though the team is not blessed with height and athleticism but were fortunate because of the team's will to win and the huge heart. 

Members of the team are all Pro players in the Philippines but no one of the members ever named Most Valuable Player in the PBA. During Team Pilipinas' last game against USA, one member of the team played like an MVP and eventually became one. Louis Albert "L.A." Tenorio also known as the Lieutenant scored 20 points, 18 of which he scored on the second half most of it in the 4th quarter were the team needed it most.

Lack of height and athleticism didn't blocked L.A's will to win. Instead, he uses his heart to pull off a game winning 2-pointer perimeter jump shot with Douhtit's screening to help him free from defender.

As the time whines' down, USA had a single attempt but didn't went in...BOOM!

Team Pilipinas WIN!

The heart of a Filipino once again shown during the 34the JONES CUP. 

Most of the time we see this characteristics in boxing matches especially when Pacquiao's Fighting.

But this time, we have seen it in a different sport, different personas' the best thing is we have seen it in a TEAM.

In a basketball team...called..

SMART GILAS TEAM PILIPINAS!

KUDOS!

FIBA ASIA...Witness the hearts of the SMART GILAS TEAM PILIPINAS!

                       

Witness the hearts of the FILIPINOS!

BASKETBALL ADDICTION

Basketball, a sport formulated by Dr. James Naismith that today became one of the famous sports in whole wide world.

When we talked about basketball a name rises to the discussion and it is Michael Jordan.

The man said to be the greatest player ever worn a pair of shoes on the basketball court.

In the Philippines, basketball is more than just a sport...it's a religion.

A religion in a sense, that every street in the country has a basketball court...even in the street's most

hidden alley has one. 

Every Filipino knows how to play it even a 5 year old kid knows it. Every Filipino basketball enthusiast 

dreams of being a professional basketball player. Unfortunately, when every raise was blessed with enormous heights like Americans the Filipinos were absent. Hence, dreaming to be in the pro is like reaching for the stars. So for those, talented yet limited in height they still exile in basketball leagues like Barangay cups, or even to provincial leagues but that's how far an ordinary player could get (not all, look at the Flying A!).

Since I'm a below average player (humble effect..hahaha)...It's hard for me to reach that far. Still I love the sport..why I love it?...

Well..funny thing is, despite the fact that I'm going know where with this sport..when I'm playing it..it give me hope that I'll still be able to reach Pro..nah!..

Seriously, basketball is my medicine for every stress that I would encounter outside the court. Stresses that relates to my field of work, family and the likes.

Every weekend afternoon all I'm waiting is when the time points at 3, when this happen it's ball time!.
by the time I'm suiting up for the game, goodbye problems!...goodbye stress!...Hello happiness!...Hakuna Matata!.

To be continue...