Manny Pacquiao vs Bo Jackson

Another thorny issue has cropped up in the PBA, resulting in barbed exchanges between two respected, no-nonsense officials of the sport. The row between straight-shooting PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa and the ascerbic former national coach and now Mahindra consultant Joe Lipa stemmed from the non-appearance of boxing champion and Enforcers playing-coach Manny Pacquiao at a league presss conference in Dubai, where Pacquiao’s team was one of three teams slated to play. Comments on comments led to Lipa’s non-attendance of a non-waivable summons, and his consequent suspension.

Looking at the entire peculiarity of the situation, it brings to mind the career of Bo Jackson, the multi-sport athlete whose “Bo Knows” campaign for Nike was rescripted into “Manny Knows” a few years ago in acknowledgment of Pacquiao’s excellence inside the ring. Narvasa’s quotes acknowledge two basic facts: Pacquiao is, indeed, a special athlete, whose exploits in the square circle will not be forgotten. He is an inspiration and model of athletic excellence in his chosen sport. He brings many intangibles into whatever arena he enters. However, as a basketball player, he has had neither the time nor the effort to achieve excellence in it, very few athletes have been able to achieve what he has achieved. But it has also not given him the opportunity to become a great basketball player, though his mere presence will absolutely draw crowds.

Jackson, meanwhile, played in both the National Football League and Major League Baseball. Originally recruited by the New York Yankees as a high school player, Jackson chose to enter Auburn University, where he led his college football team to a Sugar Bowl victory and simultaneously qualified for the US Olympic track and field team. Turning pro in 1986, Jackson played for the Kansas City Royals, the Chicago White Sox and the California Angels, during which time he became the 1989 All-Star Game MVP, had four 20-home-run seasons, and tied the record for most consecutive at-bat home runs with four home runs. Jackson then signed with the L.A. Raiders in 1987. In his first season, he sprinted to a record-breaking 221-yard rushing performance on Monday Night Football. He spent four seasons in the game before an injury sidelined him in 1991, and he never played again.

Fortunately for Jackson, the seasons fell into place for him. Major League Baseball plays from April to September, with the post-season in October. The NFL, meanwhile, runs from September to late December or early January, depending on the winter weather or certain playoff situations prevailing. And the demands of the two sports are different. Baseball requires short bursts of power and speed with almost no contact, save for the occasional misthrown pitch or a baseman trying desperately to get a runner out. Football, meanwhile, demands great strength over prolonged periods with a good chance of injury. In one, a small leather spheroid is the projectile. In the other, the players are like 300-pound missiles aimed at each other.

There have been other two-sport athletes. Danny Ainge was a six-foot-five baseballer before becoming a hard-nosed guard for the Boston Celtics in the 1980’s. Deion Sanders became the only athlete to ever play in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Bowling Hall of Famer Don Carter also played pro baseball. Before all of them, Wilt Chamberlain, Babe Didrickson and Jim Thorpe were all multi-sport athletes. But once again, the demands of those sports made it virtually impossible to play them simultaneously. On the other side of the fence, there was the ridiculous “Shaq Vs.” TV series that pit NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal against the best athletes in the world in their own sports, and Shaq very rarely succeeded. But then again, he’s an independently wealthy businessman with a doctorate who can afford to laugh at himself or be laughed at without hurting his own bottomline.

For a one-man sports conglomerate and elected public servant like Manny Paquiao, professional basketball is going to take a back seat, like it or not. The unreasonable expectation is that, since he seems to have done reasonably well in everything he’s tried, he should do better in basketball than his stats indicate. But that is never going to be the case, his other priorities as professional boxer, congressman and eventually, senator, sports patron and businessman will always take precedence over playing hoops. In fact, in most professional athletes’ contracts, they are forbidden from engaging in other forms of physical contact. When 2002 second overall pick Jay Williams wrapped himself and his motorcycle around a lamppost and needed 16 hours of surgery, he was in violation of his contract with Chicago Bulls. Even college varsity athletes in the US are not allowed to play their own sports in the off-season. Only a few pros like Michael Jordan insisted on having a clause in his contract allowing him to play hoops whenever he wanted.

Boxing has no reason or even a fixed schedule. Each fight is a one-time event that only the parties concerned may dictate. Basketball is practically a year-round affair in the country. It is something viewers can keep coming back to, it wil always be there. It sounds unfair to be a part-time professional basketball player, particularly in the Philippines where it is almost sacrilegious. But that’s how the rules stack up. Anyone a team sees fit may coach, and anyone the team picks in the draft can play. So like it or not, that’s the way things stand, based on rules governing team autonomy. What cannot be done is being unduly critical of the league and its officials. So until the rules are changed, there it is.