To boo or not to boo
In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, the hero said, “To be or not to be – that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing, end them”.
Thus endure the outrageous fortune of boos the embattled Gilas mentor received from the crowd that packed the MOA Arena last Sunday. There is the pa-victim effect when he said, “Boo and bash me all you want, just support the players.” Further he added, “The only reason I’m doing this is for the country. This is just my service for the flag and country.”
The fact that 19,000-plus fans trooped to the arena and the millions more who livestreamed and watched the game on television more than justifies the support of this basketball-loving republic for the national basketball team.
Going beyond the boos, this does not necessarily target Chot Reyes but on the system that the SBP insists on implementing. Para sa bayan, they often say. But it is the collective voice of the bayan that is clamoring for a change in the basketball program.
And what about the ‘no need to win’ thing? The SBP backtracked on this when they scrambled to have Jordan Clarkson and Kai Sotto on the roster. In all fairness, the latest Gilas composition was a very good mix of talent.
The boos don’t make fans disloyal. They’re simply disappointed with the way things had gone down. We have a very passionate basketball fan base and showing their displeasure is not disloyalty. In the NBA, Boston and New York have the most passionate fans and they always fill the seats. They do boo and hiss their teams on homecourt if annoyed. This does not make them unloyal.
Let’s continue to be Shakespeare-esque.
“To be honest as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand”. With all due respect, it can never be denied that Chot is an accomplished tactician and had served the country well but the bayan’s call is loud and clear, yet SBP had remained faithful and true to the apple of their eyes.
Yes, SBP could be saying, “Do you think I am easier to be played on than a pipe? Call me what instrument you will. Though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me.” With this, critics again could see Coach Chot as, “that one may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”
Lastly, the SBP and their patrons must not doubt but believe in the people’s support for the Gilas as it has and will always be there. “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I am loyal.”
To boo or not to boo. It is a manifestation of one’s displeasure or disapproval and something is wrong in the national basketball program that it had merited boos on homecourt.
“It is not nor it cannot come to good”.
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