Why Is Basketball so Popular in the Philippines?
To our honorable professor, classmates (singit mo na lang kung meron pang ibang nanonood), good afternoon. This afternoon, I would like to share something about a sport that is so close to the hearts of the Filipino. And I believe that it is the most popular sport here in the Philippines. I know that everyone in this room know what Im Im talking about. It is the the sport called basketball. But first, I would like to raise some questions. Have you ever wondered why basketball is so famous in the country? That when there is a championship game you can bet that most Filipinos would glue their faces in front of television sets? How did Filipinos end up loving this foreign sport so much? Now let me dig deeper and root back the origin of Philippine Basketball and how we ended up being so in love with it. Its a Canadian clergyman, educator and physician named James Naismith who coined basketball in 1891. Originally, basketball was designed to be a recreational game suitable for indoor games during the winter. After the standardization of basketball rules, different colleges in Canada and US adapted the sport and in a period of just a decade it spread quickly into other parts of the globe. Men and women played basketball both indoors and on the stre ets. During 1898 to 1900, the Americans introduced the young sport to the Philippines. Our country was among the very first basketball playing nations in the world. And the most famous sport during those days, soccer, was replaced by basketball and other American sports such as baseball and football. It was not long for us to find out our true potential in the sport. From 1910s to early 1930s, the Filipinos went on dominating the basketball scene in Asia winning 9 championships out of 10 in the Far Eastern Games. And by the first time that mens basketball was finally considered an official sport in the Berlin Olympics in 1936, the Philippines finished fifth with a 4-1 win-loss record losing only to the US. Another one is in the second FIBA World Championship in 1954 wherein the Filipinos snagged the bronze medal with basketball superstar Carlos Loyzaga being the tournaments third leading scorer and making him a part of the mythical five selection. These feats by the Philippine Basketball Team are still unparalleled up to this day by any other Asian country. Surely, these things are ones we can be proud of. The Philippines continued their dominance up until the late 1960s. But when Carlos Loyzaga retired, the Philippine Teams performance also declined. And though they are consistently appearing in Olympic and Asian games, it was very evident that the Golden Age of Philippine Basketball was slowly
turning into a downward spiral. However, it did not mean doomsday for the Filipino fans. The love for the sport was still the same and they continued supporting the P hilippine delegation. In 1975, the Philippine Basketball Association was born with a burning passion to bring back the golden days. And they succeeded in the 1985-1986 FIBA Asia Championship where they won their fifth Championship which earned them the right to play in the FIBA World Championship. However, they were not able to play due to political crisis in the country during those times. In the 90s the very first all-pro basketball players national team was formed. It gained all out support from Filipinos in every corners of the country since it was coached by the charismatic basketball Living Legend Robert Jaworski. The national team was also bannered by top PBA Superstars such as Alvin Patrimonio, Samboy Lim and the sharpshooter Allan Caidic. They finished second to China in the Asian Games. Though the Philippine Teams performance in the world basketball scene was never the same and the Golden Days were gone, the support and love of Filipino fans for the sport were always the same. As players strive hard to bring glory and honor the country, their effort is always appreciated back home. And our countrymen boast this to the rest of the worldFilipino pride and Filipino class. This, I think, is what makes Filipinos love the sport so much. In every sport that we play, we give more than a hundred percent and we pour in our hearts out for victory. In every sport that w e play, we excel and astonish the world. In every sport we play, we carry the pride of our country in our shoulders and proudly wave the Philippine flag. Clearly, it is not money that makes Filipinos play basketball. Likewise, it is not any material thing that makes Filipinos love the sport so much but the successes that had put the Philippines in the World Map and made us a proud nation.
