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Pinoy Basketball
Pinoys have long been a die hard of basketball.
Ever since the Americans brought the game from a time when we are in
dire need of distraction from the grave situation we were at, we
have embraced the sport like it was ours. This could be seen from
the multitude of basketball courts that sprung up from every corner
of our city streets and the many "inter-tsinelas" games that goes in
every one.
Truly, the Pinoy is a basketball-crazy lot, so crazy that
almost every corner has their basketball league. The Philippines is
also home to the second oldest play-for-pay league, the
PBA,
second only to its international counterpart and considered the
crème de la crème of basketball, the
NBA. But the
PBA does not have the monopoly of basketball; we could also see a
potential rival that has the ability to take it shoulder to shoulder
with the PBA, the
Philippine Basketball League. Although it is already a
semi-professional league, most of its players still aspire to become
a legit PBA star. Another league that tried to bring the game closer
to our brothers in the provinces, which unfortunately has been in
many financial debacles that led to its demise, is the MBA, or the
Metropolitan Basketball League. Its emergence has brought to
exposure many hidden talents that were quietly tuck from the city’s
limelight. We’ve seen the likes of Dondon Hontiveros who is now
lighting it up in the PBA.
Why do we have the liking for this game? Although the Americans
brought also with, not only basketball, but also baseball and
soccer, one might think that basketball is much more accessible than
the other two. Having played in a relatively larger field/pitch,
baseball and soccer would very much be difficult for a country
lacking in space. Other people would blame the fact that Filipinos
adhere much to basketball’s concept of team play, as against to
baseball and soccer, which focuses much more or more appropriately,
is more individualistic than basketball.
No matter what the cause, no other sport has swept the nations feet
other than basketball.
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