Insincere politicians no place in sports

It’s annoying to find politicians, particularly so-called presidentiables, issuing statements and making comments on sports issues in media with elections only less than a year away.

Some of these politicians never bothered about sports before. Yet now, they’re talking like there’s a special place in their hearts for it, like they’re just as passionate about sports as you and me.

Without sounding self-righteous, here are 10 unsolicited suggestions for politicians who intend to crash the sports pages hoping to generate mileage for their election campaign.

• No motherhood statements. We’re sick and tired of cliches and broken promises which play like broken records. We’d rather hear something concrete, a selfless plan of action that is practicable and worth pursuing.

• No comments on problems in sports without suggesting firm solutions. We don’t care for mudslinging. Some politicians simply like to point fingers without saying anything positive - it’s an easy way to be heard.

• No grandstanding, especially at the expense of athletes or sports organizations. Take the case of Wynne Arboleda. He’s been sanctioned severely by the PBA for his condemnable act. Surely, there’s no further need for a congressional investigation to determine if his punishment is adequate or not.

• No politicking. If a comment must be made on a sports issue, then let it be heard without anyone pushing for an elective position on the side. It would be so crass to do otherwise.

• No blackmailing. A politician seeking public office shouldn’t threaten that if he or she isn’t elected, then he or she won’t back up sports. There is enough negativism in sports – we don’t need more of it.

* * * *

• No taking advantage of athletes. Politicians on the campaign trail should leave the athletes alone. Athletes shouldn’t be exploited for anyone’s political agenda. They’re not dummies for sale or display and shouldn’t be coerced into being involved in a campaign.

• No insincerity. Politicians shouldn’t only show interest in sports when it’s election time. Consistency is key and the voters can detect it a mile away.

• No sloganeering. It smacks of commercialism. Politicians who exhort voters to “just do it” or swear that “impossible is nothing” should be exposed for using sports to propagandize themselves.

• No showing up in sporting events where there is a big audience when they’ve never attended before. It often happens in the PBA. Politicians suddenly appear within camera range in big games. When they’re not running for public office, they couldn’t care less for the PBA.

• No rallies or congregations in the “interest of sports.” You can’t rule out the possibility of politicians engineering a rally or demonstration where athletes gather to air grievances or fight for a cause only to emerge as their champion in the end.

On the positive side, here are five suggestions as to how politicians may address sports issues.

• Spell out a program. A presidentiable should take a firm position on sports – how vital is sports in government priorities, should sports be a Cabinet portfolio, the necessity of continuity and professionalizing the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Games and Amusements Board (GAB) without making them a dumping ground to repay political debts and a solid program of incentives for athletic achievers.

• Define the relationship between the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee where the government fosters harmony not rivalry.

• Use sports as a platform to instill national pride not as a vehicle to propagandize a politician or political party. Spare the athletes from committing themselves in public politically, especially those who are attached to military units.

• Promote sports as a tool to galvanize the fragmented sectors of society, not as a way to divide our people by sowing intrigue and envy.

• Express sincerity by pledging all-out support for sports, not just during the campaign period. The pledge should be unconditional, meaning even if the politician loses in a bid for public office.

Next time you read about a politician financing a sporting event or attending a PBA game or showing up on stage in public with an athletic superstar, check out his or her track record in terms of involvement in sports. Then you be the judge if he or she is sincere.