Pacquiao, cheerleading: the price of democracy

This week, small sober celebrations were held commemorating the People Power revolution of 1986. It appears that great numbers of people were either unwilling or unable to celebrate, primarily because it was a working holiday and millions spent their day fuming in gridlock. Also, the headlines for the past month had not been encouraging cause for celebration.

But that is one of the prices of democracy. This writer was at EDSA in 1986, exactly a month before my college graduation. I personally witnessed people lift and carry a bus to block the northbound lane of the main highway at Ortigas Avenue (before the regulation flyovers had been constructed), and yank the steel fence on Ortigas – concrete anchors and all – to block the other. Those four days saw people do things they never thought they could, and it seemed the best idea at the time. I have never been to any commemorative celebration since then. My belief is simple: going to EDSA then did the job. The rest is our moral duty in day-to-day life to be vigilant. To paraphrase Forest Gump, democracy is like a box of chocolate. You never know what you’re going to get. You just think you do.

In sports, there have been two stories that have shown us the price of democracy, as well. Of course, the dismissal of import Daniel Orton from the PBA comes to mind first. It has circulated the globe, chiefly among mainland US sports media, who seem so quick to jump in and protect a fellow citizen and ridicule those who have the freedom to terminate his services for any reason they choose. Some were so hasty to beat their broadcast deadlines that they hardly bothered to check their facts and look at the cultural impact of the comments. They read the headline “Former NBA player fired after criticizing Pacquiao” and simply ran with it, treating Filipinos as if we knew less about basketball than they do.

There are actually two stories intertwined here: what Orton said about Manny Pacquiao, and Orton’s firing. If the firing had come first, this would have been a much smaller story, a petty case of sour-graping. Actually, it should be a much smaller story, exacerbated by Orton’s poor performance, and the timing of the announcement of Pacquiao’s highly anticipated fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. It also said what many people have been thinking: should Pacquiao be in the PBA in the first place?

The main impetus for all the attention is the possessiveness that Filipino sports fans feel towards Pacquiao. Remember, his re-emergence in 2006 came when Filipinos needed a hero, and suddenly, one of their own, a great underdog who had fallen from being world champion, ascended the summit of global boxing again, and kept on winning. If he plays pool in his spare time, that’s okay, it’s a non-contact sport for recreation. But the first time Pacquiao ran for public office, the result was a defeat. The people had spoken: they preferred that he focus on boxing. The price of democracy.

Now, the situation is quite different. Pacquiao triumphed in the last election, his fame and proclaimed desire to serve the public overshadowing whatever qualification or lack thereof he possessed at the time. He entered the PBA draft, and not a few clucked in disapproval. But the rules allow for that. If he stays a part-time player and head coach, that is between him and his team. For the purists, that is a travesty. Filipino fans cannot think of Manny Pacquiao as Bo Jackson, who played professional football half the year and professional baseball the other half. Jackson was so successful that the “Bo Knows” campaign by Nike has actually lived almost three decades to today, in t-shirts Pacquiao himself wears saying “Manny Knows”. But Filipino fans aren’t convinced. Many openly rail against it, and that is their right, as well. For Pacquiao, many of the things he does he shouldn’t have to do, because he may make himself look bad or lose money. But he does them anyway because he can. This includes giving to charity out of his own pocket, holding various sports tournaments, and playing professional basketball.

The other sports story which shows the measure of democracy is cheerleading, pinnacled by the beginning of today’s National Cheerleading Championship at the Mall of Asia Arena. Cheerleading has come a long way from being a mere morale-bolstering side attraction about 130 years ago. It has grown exponentially to the point that the International Cheer Union’s World Championship draws hundreds of teams to Florida annually. The Philippines is one of its latest and most successful members, thanks largely to the efforts of people like Itos Valdes, who have independently and quietly raised the standard for the sport.

There was a time when the words “sport” and “cheerleading” were not used in the same sentence, and some venerated sports institutions still don’t accept it. But times have changed, and students have taken to it in vast numbers, though the transition hasn’t been easy. Standards had to be set, rules implemented with consensus, and participation ensured. With media attention, particularly television, everyone wants in.

Three years ago, the NCC itself was the subject of a political tug-of-war, as some officials of another national sports association were claiming cheerleading under their umbrella. But Valdes and the NCC stuck to their beliefs, took the tedious but proper route with SportAccord, and are now recognized as the governing body of the sport in the country. They are one of a number of sports that do not need to be under the Philippine Olympic Committee, although ICU applied for membership in the International Olympic Committee back in 2010. Cheerleading is not yet an Olympic sport, so there is no need for now. This means that NCC had had to grow its credibility and stature on its own, without the backing of any higher body in the country, and with the threat of potential competition which, thankfully, has been no threat at all.

And look at how much has changed in the last five years. The Philippines has conquered Southeast Asia just as convincingly as it has in basketball. The country has placed third in the Worlds, despite the enormous cost of sending a team to the eastern United States. The qualifying events have spread nationwide. There is little or no controversy. And the standards keep getting higher and higher. That is the reward of democracy. Those who do the work, get the pay.