“ Sports is beautiful but also brutal .” — E.J.
Obiena, pole vaulter, Paris Olympics 2024 In the light of Carlos Yulo’s Olympic wins in gymnastics in Paris [and in remembrance of Hidilyn Diaz’s watershed win in weightlifting in Tokyo in 2021], there was a burst of online chatter about the state of competitive sports in the Philippines. About the hardships our athletes have to go through to train and to participate in competitions, often with the most measly and most grudging of government support. About how ironic it is that our Olympic wins have come from sports not usually seen as “appropriate” for the gender of the athlete that won them.
And about how support for these sports always seem to pale in comparison to certain other sports that enjoy not just widespread appeal but also consistent corporate largess. And then people began side-eyeing basketball. To quote improv comedian and comics artist Jay Ignacio: “ Eh, kung i-modify natin ang gymnastics na kailangan ma-syut sila sa loob ng basketbol ring tuwing di-dismount, makakaakit kaya iyon ng mas maraming sponsorship? ” And then from screenwriter and poet Jerry Gracio: “ Pagkatapos nating manalo sa Olympics sa mga sports na hindi basketball, tiyak, magtatayo tayo ng maraming maraming basketball courts .
” Mostly played for laughs, of course — but the undertone of many of these posts was serious. Other social media posts were more upfront: “ Hindi lang [sana] puro basketball,” wrote historian Kris.