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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Use sports principles, beat this pandemic

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Use sports principles, beat this pandemicWelcome to my new home! 

I have been involved in sports for over four decades now and at this stage of my life, I am glad that I am still able to discuss and write about sports in the face of this coronavirus pandemic that has practically crippled the whole world. 

Local sports is hardly breathing. Organized sports, mostly spectator sports like the Philippine Basketball Association, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, the Philippine Superliga and the Premier Volleyball League, the school-based ones like the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, football, boxing and the rest have suspended their leagues and events.

Our athletes are taking a beating against this invisible enemy, the Philippine Sports Commission has reduced the monthly allowances of all national athletes so it can stretch its budget up to end of the year and all its facilities have been closed down to athletes. Instead, the facilities are being used to house people waiting to get transport back to their provinces.

And without events to cover, sportswriters are learning to adapt, using online  technology to do sports fora and podcasts. Even sports seminars are now online and I know women’s basketball is doing one for coaches, featuring foreign resource speakers this week. Get in touch with University of the East coach Ai Lebornio for details.

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But for me, the irony in the current situation with the pandemic is that by applying basic principles in sports, I believe we can beat the coronavirus.

Allow me to explain. Look at everyone of us as a sports team. The need for team work is critical with everyone doing his share, from the government, the police and military, the heath care workers, the barangays, all the way to the general public. We need to understand, accept and adjust to the realities now and act accordingly.

Then, we need a coach who will do the strategizing, coming up with the X’s and O’s, in this case, the national government plays this role. Its assistant coaches, represented by the LGUs and the PNP, follows through the plays which need to be clear and with well-defined roles for the players, who would be the general public. 

Then, let us talk of team values in order for us to be successful, team work, hard work, trust and respect, communication, no blame game, taking responsibilities, and one of the most important elements–having the discipline to follow the team rules to the letter.

The Why and the What are clear, even the How. The problem is convincing everyone to follow the game plan.

Enough said.

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