A different perspective

A question this writer and fellow sports media practitioners frequently encounter is: what is the sports scene like in other countries? After all, it isn’t every nation in the world that has developed massive, successful sports development programs, and we hear little about sports that don’t interest us much or aren’t really played in the Philippines. A recent trip by this writer to the sultanate of Brunei illustrated just how drastically different two countries can be in terms of sports, never mind that they are practically next to one another.

Prior to the trip, I wanted to learn about this nation I had never been to. I met with my contemporary Jean Malanum, who was briefly sports editor of the Brunei Times. A veteran sports reporter and writer, she craved the constant change of daily beat reporting, but also appreciated the opportunity to work overseas. The range of sports played in the sultanate is vastly different from what we are used to here in the Philippines, with most of them being the regular Commonwealth games. But given the relatively small size of Brunei and its population (less than 400,000 people), naturally, the action was limited compared to the Philippines. And much of the news was state-controlled, apparently, even the sports pages.

First of all, Brunei is a Muslim country, and that in itself has a huge impact on the kinds of sports that its citizens play, as well. Obviously, women’s sports, particularly any outdoor sports, would not develop as quickly as it does in countries with a different dominant religion, because of their deep belief in modesty, and the accompanying traditional attire that women wear in the country. 

Secondly, because of its proximity with Malaysia, it also has very many similar sports. Soccer is definitely its number one sport, always has been, and this is reflected in the ratio of its television coverage vis-a-vis the sport’s exposure in the Philippines. Its sport shops for all the different societal classes carry a wide range of soccer kits and equipment. Some have so many jerseys on display in their windows that you can’t even see into the store. This already tells you of the difference in temperament as an audience. While the mainstream Filipino sports audience has only been really appreciative of football the last five years, other Southeast Asian countries have always loved the sport and have a deeper understanding of the global picture of soccer as a whole. This writer remembers a trip to Bandung in Indonesia, a three-hour drive from Jakarta, where no stores carried any basketball merchandise whatsoever. Needless to say, I suffered severe hoops withdrawal symptoms.

Third, since the affluent and royal class are very popular in Brunei and incidentally, control much of the media, sports for the wealthy get a lot of ink on the sports pages. Sailing, polo and other sports in that strata get half-page stories with full-color photographs. But one thing you will realize if you are there more than a few days is that most of the photographs in the major dailies are awarding and profile shots. Very little by way of action is actually seen on the sports pages. For someone who grew up on a diet of roundball, boxing, track and billiards, I felt something was missing. 

So what is the impact of this cultural phenomena for people living in Brunei? For those who appreciate soccer and badminton and, to a certain extent polo, sailing and other high-profile sports, that is their staple. Those sports continue to build an audience, much the way basketball has snowballed and feeds upon itself in this Americanized part of the world. That part of the landscape is very healthy. You will not see any mixed partial arts here. A lot of the braggadocio and excessive violence seen in those types of Western sports are unacceptable in the sultanate. Eastern-style humility is much preferred.

For those seeking to swim, surf and sunbathe, the option is simple: save up and fly out at the end of every month to get your sports fix, since there is no visible night life, as well, they throw that in, too. Singapore has all the man-made attractions and theme parks not found in Brunei, whose tourism is struggling as the aftermath of full implementation of religious laws. Bangkok has all the dark, forbidden urban attractions, too. A new destination is Macau, a sparkling new, unfamiliar tourist spot for citizens. There is also nowhere to buy alcoholic beverages in Brunei, save for the limited selection at the airport, if you’re a tourist. So Bruneians look for places to unwind in nearby countries on these monthly escapes.

Those attractions include Formula One, Davis Cup tennis, billiards, to a certain degree cricket, all not played on a large scale or at a huge level in Brunei, until the government decides to back those sports. Lately, the government is building up its basketball program, and they’ve asked a Filipino to help them. Former Emilio Aguinaldo College head coach Nomar Isla is helping develop basketball in Brunei. Like his predecessors who have coached in Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, Isla is facing an uphill challenge in a country where basketball is, bluntly, starting from scratch. If all goes well, Isla will be back in the Philippines with his wards at the SEABA Under-16 tournament in April. 

So what do the thousands of Filipino workers in Brunei do for sports? There’s really only one answer to that. They play basketball, three times a week. By Bruneian standards, Filipinos are so good, they are the biggest reinforcements to commercial teams there, similar to how Americans are hired as imports for PBA teams. They even get to travel to Malaysia and other Southeast Asian Countries to play in international club tournaments. As one of them put it, “It’s usually us and the Chinese who play as imports, but honestly, what chance do they stand against Pinoys when things get rough?”

You have to make do with what you have, where you are.