Why is basketball so popular in the Philippines? Tough question. To begin with, Filipinos have been greatly influenced by American culture for over a century, and that includes sports from baseball to basketball. In the 1930’s, baseball was king, and basketball was considered a sissy sport. But in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, basketball was included in the Olympic program for the first time. Then, in the late 1970’s, the PBA was born, and the NBA cleaned up its act and became immensely popular. And, since we admire individual creativity so much, that may explain our affinity for hoops.
Are there sports we’re naturally better at? There have been many theories regarding race superiority in sport, but none have been proven. Almost two decades ago, ABC News even did a documentary on the black (now African-American) athlete, but never conclusively proved theories regarding their consistent dominance in athletics and certain sports.
A lot of it has to do with environment. For the most part, African runners simply grew up traveling long distances on foot because there was no other mode of transportation. Many inner-city African-American children play street basketball, but that still doesn’t substantiate their almost thorough domination of the NBA. As for Filipinos, our natural grace and athletics ability have led us to success in many artistic and sporting fields. But a lot of it is environment or individual determination.
Why haven’t we won an Olympic gold medal yet? Strictly speaking, athletes with Filipino blood have won Olympic gold medals dating back to 1948 with Victoria Manalo, aka Vicki Draves in diving. There are many factors to explain our drought: lack of focus, inadequate preparation, small delegations to the Olympic Games, insufficient funding. Any and all of these have contributed to our palpable decline in the international arena.
Are billiards and darts real sports? Good question. A long time ago, events were divided into sports, games and pastimes. Other sub-divisions also cropped up, like field event, indoor sports, board games, ball games, and so on. Later, the lines between and among these definitions became more and more blurred. Today, what defines a sport means one thing to one culture and another to someone else’s. In Europe, river jumping (akin to pole vaulting over running water) is considered a sport. In the United States, log rolling may be classified as a competitive event.
In basketball’s formative years of the 1920’s onwards, it was used as intermission entertainment at ballroom clubs in New York. Now, ballroom dancing is used as halftime entertainment in professional basketball games. Boxing originated as a death match with spiked gloves laced with poison. So which is the real sport?
More recently, a debate was raised over Efren Reyes’ selection as Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Year. Some people consider playing a game that is held in smoky bars where betting often takes place unhealthy. However, billiards has undergone a big lift in its credibility the last few years, punctuated by Reyes’ annexation of the first World 9-Ball-title in Cardiff, Wales in 1999. Come to think of it, some people consider swatting a dimpled ball hundreds of yards, chasing it, knocking it into a hole and fishing it out rather silly. But golf has become one of the most influential sports in the world.
Are Fil-Ams "bad" for sports? Excellent query. First of all, a person’s biological heritage is not his fault, so nobody should be ostracized for it. Secondly, every person has a right to claim citizenship in the land of his birth or his parents’. Fil-Am or hybrid athletes have, in many ways, raised the standard of play in many sports, not just basketball. However, because many of them are young, immature and have suddenly stumbled upon fame and fortune, some of them have also lowered certain standards of behavior. But the bottom line is how they perform on the court or playing field. More and more, the world is becoming a melting pot, and many athletes are sincerely searching out their roots. As long as they’re legit, I have no problem with Fil-Am athletes.
How do I know which sport is for me? My honest advice would be to try as many sports as possible, as long as you are capable. I personally had to overcome the effects of asthma, migraines, scoliosis and flat feet through a variety of sports. If you are physically able to do a sport, try it. Forget about stereotypes (like tall people should play basketball, short people should be jockeys or other nonsense), you just may discover your passion. Some great athletes found their true calling quite by accident.