Athletes, beware

Athletes are being courted to join a rally calling for reforms in Philippine sports tomorrow. There’s nothing wrong in taking to the streets and voicing one’s sentiments. In a democracy, freedom of expression is a sacred right.

But athletes must exercise prudence in determining that if by joining such a rally, they could do more harm than good.

No question, Philippine sports is in a shambles. Corruption is rampant in some National Sports Associations (NSAs) as unscrupulous officials abuse their authority for personal gain. It’s no secret that smuggling in sports equipment for sale at an atrocious profit, negotiating commissions with travel agencies, pocketing ransom money from athletic suppliers, and getting kickbacks from sponsorship deals are things that make running for office in sports a lucrative proposition. Some officials make a living out of sports–at the athletes’ expense. They rig elections so they remain in power for life and wallow in the perks of a pampered lifestyle–frequent travel, complimentary hotel accommodations, dollar per diems, drinking sprees, free meals, and trysts to cheat on spouses.

Why Filipino athletes can’t seem to get ahead in international competitions is no mystery. It’s because of politics, greed, and vindictiveness. Athletes are demoralized. They sacrifice and spill their guts out on the playing field. If they reap honors, officials take the credit and bask in the glory of their triumph. If they lose, they’re to blame for not training hard enough and failing to live up to expectations.

The problem is systemic. Even if Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Celso Dayrit is impeached, the problem will remain if the system isn’t changed. Dayrit isn’t the problem. Neither is it Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Carlos Tuason. It’s the rotten system.

Something must be done to overhaul the manner by which NSAs vote their officials. Something must also be done to delineate the functions and responsibilities of the POC and PSC–the overlapping has caused confusion, intrigue, and demoralization.

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Take the Basketball Association of the Philippines (BAP) case. Both Lito Puyat and Tiny Literal claim to be the legitimate BAP President. Within a span of about six months, the BAP has held at least four elections–none of them conclusive. Literal insists he’s the rightful President because the majority of the BAP Regional Directors supports him. Puyat, however, says under the BAP Constitution, he has the mandate.

The Asian Basketball Confederation (ABC) is backing up Literal–whose organization ignores the influence of the Philippine leagues that count, namely, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), the Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), the Philippine Basketball League (PBL), the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

The objective of harnessing the big leagues’ support is for the Philippines to regain its once lofty standing in Asian hoops. Perhaps, that’s the reason why the Chinese-led ABC isn’t supporting Puyat–maybe, the idea is to keep the BAP in turmoil.

Clearly, the BAP will go nowhere without the support of the big leagues. Puyat and Literal are just symbols of authority. What will do or undo the BAP is if it has the clout to make a difference in the international arena.

The BAP problem is a microcosm of the malaise that bedevils Philippine sports.

Unfortunately, some devious characters are out to take advantage of the confusion to sow more intrigue and grab power from those in authority. This will only hasten the absolute downfall of Philippine sports.

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In tomorrow’s rally, there seems to be a concerted effort to discredit the POC and PSC. Rally leaders are inviting forces of civil society to join in the exercise. Politicians are jumping into the bandwagon for publicity mileage. Some leaders of civil society are convinced the rally is the best thing to catalyze a change for the better in Philippine sports. But are they getting only one side of the story?

Former PSC Chairman Philip Juico says it’s expected that the disgruntled faction will expand the conflict and dramatize its struggle to make it "from page stuff." He adds that the "de facto" solution to the problem besetting the BAP and other NSAs will emerge from the intervention of civil society.

"It won’t be a legal solution," he explains. "It will not be a mandate from the courts. It will be civil society exercising its influence to broker peace. Until then, the conflict will get bigger and bigger." If Juico is right, then whoever is behind tomorrow’s rally is thinking ahead.

Juico says he is not allied to Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) President Go Teng Kok’s group which is after Dayrit’s scalp. But he admits to being "a moderating influence." Juico says if not for his sober influence, the situation would’ve been more "radicalized." He offers himself as a bridge for Go and Dayrit to settle their differences.

Athletes must be careful and discerning in deciding which leaders to follow. They’ve got to know who’s sincere and who’s not–who’s exploiting them and who’s not.