College basketball has always had a market of its own, at times outselling the PBA in terms of ticket sales and popularity. While the pro league is always considered as the big league in any basketball family, college basketball purists believe that college ball is right up there with the pros. And they do have a point. A brief look at the collegiate scene will reveal that the UAAP and NCAA are acknowledged as the top two leagues of the country with all other leagues following behind. I'd like to put Cebu's CESAFI up there with the "Big Two" but I'll have to be very honest and admit that we're slowly slipping away from them.
Let's face it. College basketball, with its leagues as its products, is like an industry in itself that is being "sold" to consumers who we'll call the basketball fan. If we were to make a common sense estimate as to which leagues are the market share leaders in terms of "sales" and consumer following, the UAAP and NCAA would come out as top-of-mind replies. Like any other market leader, the UAAP and NCAA stand out above the rest in terms of competition, popularity and following. The biggest indicator for this? They're the only leagues with nationwide live TV coverage, an abundance of sponsors and loyal fans.
The league's managers have done a good job of building the image of these leagues as the best of college basketball. TV coverage has obviously been a big boost to this position, giving the two leagues exposure to nationwide fans by default as the other leagues don't have TV coverage at all. Aware that it can't directly compete with the PBA, the UAAP and NCAA have taken the approach of owning that segment of the basketball industry that the PBA can't "touch."
I cite these as an example with the hope that Cebu's very own CESAFI will learn from these case studies and apply these key learning to their thrust to being recognized as a top league in the country.
But first things first. What is the CESAFI's stand in this regard? Do they want the league to create a name for itself? What are its dreams? Its long term goals? Its vision? Second. Assuming that the CESAFI wants to take this path, it's important that they take a look at things from the perspective of the basketball fan.
Who is the CESAFI in the eyes of the basketball fan? Does the league have a relevant attachment to the basketball fan? I don't want to pre-empt such a "survey" but I'll make an educated guess that to the eyes of the basketball fan, the CESAFI is just another league outside of the UAAP and NCAA. We're just at the same level as the NCRAA, SCUAA, and all those other alphabet basketball leagues trying hard to be at par with the UAAP and NCAA. Are we satisfied with this or do we want to go beyond this current situation? It may also help if we look back at history and ask how the CESAFI's yesteryears fared. How was the CAAA received in the past? How was it when compared to the UAAP and NCAA? And how is it now?
The CESAFI finds itself in a situation where it can actually create a big name for itself and has many things going for it. For starters, Cebu schools are the first choices of high school basketball prospects from the Visayas and Mindanao who want to pursue their basketball careers at the collegiate level. But then again, I could be wrong with the trend that has seen a growing number of young Vismin upstarts now playing in the UAAP and NCAA. Moreover, basketball fans in Manila are aware that the best talents from the south are products of Cebu basketball, e.g. Dondon Hontiveros, Junthy Valenzuela, Roger Yap, Donbel Belano, Joseph Ronald "Baby Shaq" Quiñahan, etc. This gives the CESAFI an obvious starting point to build its image, doesn't it?
From a competitive standpoint, we have proven that we aren't far behind. UV has been a consistent Final Four team in the Champions' League or national inter-collegiate championship. Every time they play in Manila, they're always viewed as a threat to topple either the UAAP or NCAA champs. Their past losses in such tournaments have been to the likes of FEU, UE, and San Sebastian, all top-notch teams. If you drill down to the roots of these losses, it always boils down to the lack of mental toughness due to the absence of quality competition on local shores. From a physical standpoint man-for-man, UV can match up against any team in Manila.
It's high time that the CESAFI take a stand now before it's too late. Do they want to be recognized to be at the same level as the UAAP and NCAA? Do they recognize the opportunities that are there? Or are they satisfied with what they have and are just willing to coast along? And let the UAAP and NCAA increase their leadership gap? I think the answer is a no-brainer.
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