Survival and a realistic merger

Word is starting to leak out about the financial problems the Metropolitan Basketball Association is experiencing. Telltale signs, like the temporary cessation of the television coverage over NBN 4, and the transfer of a marquee player like Chris Clay to the PBA do not help the rumors.

The fact of the matter is that it was a huge challenge for the MBA to take on its own sustenance after its relationship with ABS-CBN ended. For one given the economic downturn, the hundreds of millions of pesos needed to sustain a league that thrives on travel would be harder to come by, like squeezing water from a rock.

The league also instituted a new economic scheme of its own, wherein teams would bring in a prescribed amount of revenue which would go into the organizing Multi-Regional Basketball Inc. (MRBI). The MRBI would then run the league on a centralized basis. On paper, it seemed sound. After all, it was a formula similar to the one used by MASCAR, the most successful sports business model in the world.

But sponsorships were indeed hard to come by, and the league was pressed for time to open. The long lay-off last season hurt its visibility. This season, with stronger ties with the print media, the MBA made it into the sports pages regularly. The major backers of teams – LBC, Cebuana Lhuillier and The Professional Group – have been keeping the league afloat as advertising money slowly came in.

To be frank, the problems the MBA faces now are not entirely of its own creation. The increased salary structure was imposed three season ago, largely on the advice of ABS-CBN officials who wanted to accelerate the league’s visibility by pirating PBA players, a move that backfired when the PBA started raiding the MBA in return.

Now, some members of the media started questioning the supposed absence of commissioner Chito Loyzaga, alleging that the former PBA All-Star was on leave at the time when the league needed him the most. At the practices of the MBA selection heading to the Jones Cup, Loyzaga gave this writer a quizzical look.

"I don’t know what they’re saying," Loyzaga said. "I’m in the office every day. Nobody in the media calls me."

The merger talks with the Philippine Basketball League may not be a merger at all. Given the current situation, the PBL does not really want a merger. RFM’s senior vice-president Elmer Yanga told The STAR that the PBL is not even comfortable with the term "merger." However, they are open to a possible unification with the MBA, most likely on their terms.

"Realistically, we would like to see something happen by November (when the PBL reopens)," Yanga admitted. "But most probably, it will take more time than that. Another concern is the salary scale. We want to make sure that, just because the MBA comes in, the salary caps remain reasonable."

As of now, there is also a seventy percent chance that the multi-titled Welcoat franchise will make a comeback. Negotiations are under way for a successful return. Team owner Raymund Yu has put together a budget for a new team. Half of his former players are currently with the Gilbey’s Olongapo Volunteers in the MBA.

"I don’t think finding good players will be a problem," says Yu. "You know, having a basketball team really makes an impact on business. People want to be associated with a winner."

If Welcoat returns to the PBL, it may complicate the coming together of both leagues, since there will be an odd number of teams, and less room for potential members of the new entity, if there is one.

The MBA is now studying ways to maintain its viability given its current situation. Each of the league’s top officials is a successful businessman whose experience is now being tested by tough times and the heavy expenses the league incurs on a daily basis. Players are definitely feeling the pinch. But some, like those currently braving the hostility in Taiwan, are showing leadership by example. The league has expressed its appreciation, and is doing what it can to make up for the financial shortfall.

Historically, this has happened to many basketball leagues all over the world, most recently in China and the US, which once had two women’s professional basketball leagues. They have either survived and become more successful, or scaled down to become more manageable operations. As of now, Batangas, Cebu, Davao and Pampanga are secure, given their generous corporate sponsors. The league now has to find a way to keep the other four teams afloat. Objectively, it will not be easy.

It will greatly help the MBA’s cause if it remains transparent and keeps faith with its players. If you will recall, when the Pampanga Dragons left the league, they made sure many of their players would be placed with PBA teams or find spots on rosters of other teams. It was not perfect, but it was an act of goodwill that still rings in the hearts of the players involved.

On one hand, outsiders must realize that attacking the MBA and feasting on its troubles will not help the players whose livelihood may be even more adversely affected by negative publicity. Now is the time to be constructive; times are hard for everybody. On the other hand, the MBA must act with more urgency. It has built up people’s hopes that they matter, that citizens of cities in the league matter, that players can aspire for something better. That is a large responsibility, and a matter of honor that must not be taken lightly, and must be protected with all the might it can muster.

So far, the MBA has done its best to be honorable. The challenge has just gotten harder.

Whatever happens, if the MBA has the best of intentions for its players, its employees and its fans, it will survive, because people will rally to its support. Honorable men are a rare commodity nowadays, and the public will always rush to their aid. They remind us of what we can be, and what we often deny ourselves that we are.