Don’t blame the athletes

Was Filipino tennis legend Johnny Jose misquoted when he reportedly said Malays are naturally lazy compared to the Chinese, Japanese and Koreans who by his standards, are well-disciplined?

Jose slammed Filipino athletes, presumably in tennis, for lacking the dedication and commitment to excel. He proudly boasted that in his heyday, he was the shining example of a dedicated athlete who woke up early to do 100 push-ups, practiced for three hours after lunch, jogged for 30 minutes before attending afternoon classes and did his homework until two in the morning.

Jose’s claim to fame was he won the men’s singles gold medal in tennis at the 1962 Asian Games in Jakarta. In the 1958 edition in Tokyo, Jose combined with Mike Dungo to claim the silver in men’s doubles.

I wonder how local tennis standouts P. J. Tierro and Johnny Arcilla reacted to Jose’s remarks and how the new generation of rising stars felt. Is Jose such a revered hero that he can get away with insulting not just Filipino athletes but the entire Malay race?

Jose must be writhing in pain to see how the Philippines has been overtaken by other Asian countries in sports the country used to dominate in the Asian Games. I’m sure every Filipino commiserates with him.

Basketball is a prime example of a sport which the Philippines lorded over in the past. The national team won the gold medal in basketball in the first four stagings of the Asian Games from 1950 but hasn’t struck paydirt since 1962.

Is the reason for the downtrend the Filipinos’ lack of dedication or inherent laziness?

I don’t think so.

First of all, I beg to disagree with Jose in his theory that Malays are naturally lazy. Race has nothing to do with an attitude problem. It’s easy to point to the country’s years of colonization under Spanish and American rule as the cause for being subdued, unmotivated and passive. But that’s not a fair analysis. Patriots like Andres Bonifacio and Gregorio del Pilar fought courageously for freedom. Would they be exceptions to Jose’s rule?

The root cause of the country’s decline in sports is the leadership structure that fosters politics instead of unity, corruption instead of integrity and mediocrity instead of excellence.

Officials, not athletes, are to blame for the failures in Philippine sports. They look after their own personal interests before taking care of athletes, prioritizing their junkets at the expense of valuable overseas training or raising the standards of play through technical innovations or organizing competitions.

Are officials showing a good example to athletes by being selfless, by sacrificing or by going the extra mile to provide for them? Or are they forever quibbling over turf, perks and incentives? Are they more interested in looking out for themselves than for athletes?

The First Gentleman stepped up to the plate and personally, led the crusade to put the Philippines on top of the Southeast Asian Games for the first time ever last year. The objective was attained, indicating Filipino athletes are able to rise to the occasion when properly motivated and inspired.

Then politics once more reared its ugly head as government bashers castigated the First Gentleman for taking the lead role in the effort to develop and promote sports. Instead of being encouraged to take up the sporting cudgels for the country once again — this time, in the Asian Games, the First Gentleman backed off. He’d had enough of the self-styled critics. He wanted to spare the President of the embarrassment. In the end, the loser was Philippine sports, thanks to politicians whose agenda to sow intrigue has claimed Filipino athletes as victims.

It’s convenient for Jose to blame athletes because they’re the soldiers on the field of battle. But the easy thing to do is not necessarily the right thing to do.

Nearly every National Sports Association recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee is wracked by political conflict. Imagine how that impacts on athletes who are helpless spectators of bitter power plays involving officials of their sport.

Tennis, by the way, is not an exception to this trend, as Jose should know.

Here’s a toast to University of the Philippines (UP) professor Martin Gregorio who turned a healthy 65 yesterday.

Gregorio has served UP for 42 solid years with brilliance and is leaving behind a legacy of excellence in his retirement. For 40 years, he’s been a loyal and caring husband to his loving wife Lucille and they’re looking forward to more happy years together.

Two of Gregorio’s sons are deeply involved in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Ryan is Purefoods head coach and Allan is an assistant coach with Air21. Another son Pato is a pillar in the tourism industry and assists the PBA in out-of-town events. Daughters Inday and Tin-Tin join Pato, Allan and Ryan in wishing their father a happy birthday and more blessed years to come.

Special greetings from this corner to a man who is much admired, respected and loved.