The other stars of sports

Sports coverage in the media has always centered around the biggest names and stars of the “sports-for-entertainment” world. In basketball alone, we’ll hear about the biggest names in the NBA, PBA and international scene. The same is true for football and all other sports.

But if you look deeper into it, did you now this lot of superstars comprises only a very small percentage of the entire sports world? The players in the NBA are already the best of the best but in the “lower” ranks of basketball are the thousands of other type of players who also play basketball. Some still do it for money, albeit on a much smaller scale when compared to the pros. Some do it for fun and fitness. Some use their basketball skills to get a free education through athletic scholarships. And some just simply play for the love of it. Cebu is no exception to the rule if you look deeper into this basketball market. It’s such a huge market that shoe makers like Adidas and Nike treat this segment as their target market for their brands. This is where they get the volume of orders of the latest shoes endorsed by Kobe, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose.

And where do we find them? These players? Have you been to the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu’s old campus gym along Mango Avenue between 6-10pm? Everyday? Or its neighbors at the USC North Gym? Or the YMCA Gym along Jones? And how about the Sacred Heart Center gym? City Sports Club? And all the barangay gyms across the city, the province, the country? Every night, these gyms are booked solid with basketball. Different groups, different faces, different strokes. They’re all playing the game that they love. The city is abuzz with the noise of the bouncing ball and yells of players every night. We don’t get to realize it but if you multiply the number of people playing by night and by the number of gyms across the country, that’s a very huge basketball playing republic. If the pros have their leagues, so do these guys. Check out the courts in Punta Princesa, Labangon and as far as Sibonga and Bogo. They all have games of an ongoing league or tournament featuring their own version of stars and heroes. They have their own current starts like Kobe and Lebron. And they also have their “oldies” versions of Jason Kidd and company. Rookies are also there and welcomed by the local fans. These leagues are mirrors of the bigger leagues that we all watch. But the biggest benefit to the crowd is that they get to watch the action up close and personal. While it’s impossible for them to watch an NBA game in their lifetime, the local entertainment takes care of this. And as they say, there’s nothing like the real thing.

We’ve had the opportunity to be involved with different leagues that portray this reality; not even reality TV can beat this. Have you heard of the NBAC? It’s the NBA but with a “C”, a league of newsmen of Cebu, thus the name Newsmen’s Basketball Association of Cebu. Our Red Shamans team, a merger of Freeman and Cebu Daily News, is in the semifinals of our tournament. Our heroes and stars? Jonas Panerio, Calvin Cordova, Peter Romanillos and our very own Manny Villaruel lead our lot of basketball wannabees. We have a good-looking uniform, have our pictures taken on all game days, and we even come out in the news (if we win). Facebook? Of course? Our venue? Cebu Coliseum last Sunday. The place was packed…..with chairs. If the NBA has David Stern, we have our own Bobby “Knight” Inoferio. Did you say salary cap? Last I heard, the players were demanding for more…..more practice, more “hangin,” and more water. I guess you can say we’re all victims of the “Be like Mike” campaign.

We also have the local leagues that feature companies, alumni teams and barangay heartthrobs. Recently ending is the Cebu Customs Invitational Tournament which the Bureau of Customs established for its trade partners and friends. They, too have their own stars, rookies and veterans. Under BOC Deputy Collector Bingo Matugas, the ten team league went through a regular “season” and its playoffs. At the end the day, MJDL won the championship and felt like champions themselves. The Sacred Heart School Ateneo Alumni Basketball Athletic Association (SHAABAA) kicks off on July 21 with ten teams of alumni of the school. This is where alumni get physical and play for bragging rights as to who’s the best team among all graduates/former students. The same is true for the SCBHABA of USC and the CECABA of CEC. USJR and Don Bosco also have their own alumni leagues. The J Center hosted an inter-company basketball tournament while the Lapu-lapu City is well known for its fiesta tournament featuring open, corporate and barangay-based teams from the city.

 I can go on and on and on mentioning all these different leagues, clubs and basketball buffs. They don’t get the usual space that the more popular ones have in the news, but today is your day with us at Bleacher Talk. Play on, play hard and have fun.

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 Time-out: Kudos to the De La Salle-ASMC Alumni Association on is annual homecoming today at the school campus in Lutopan. Hail, hail, alma mater! >>> You can reach me at [email protected].