Notes after seeing Varsity basketball gone political

Notes after seeing Varsity basketball gone political

(Or "all after calls for 'wearing black',
facing taunts in social media,
and the use of the games as a political platform")

Much hath been discussed about the student governments of both the University of the Philippines and the Ateneo de Manila University trying to use sports as a platform for protest- by encouraging their fans to wear black last saturday during Game one of the UAAP Season 81 Men's Basketball finals.

Driven by the recent events particularly those of Duterte and his antics, this attempt for a black-clad "protest" was an attempt to show unity between both schools, in a way they also expressed their opinion regarding their homeland's "culture of violence", "impunity", "misogyny" and the likes, as according to their statements (from both UP and AdMU) issued last month:

"In the #BattleOfKatipunan tomorrow, let us always remember that our struggles go beyond the game that we’re cheering for, and these struggles are always within our community...Use your voice and fight to end tyranny, impunity, and misogyny in our country! Wear black."


"Win or lose, it’s the nation we choose! We urge everyone to wear black for tomorrow’s game as a protest against violence, impunity, and misogyny..."

From this, initially very few dare to take the ordeal of wearing black as a form of unity and of protest as most chose to be either indifferent or thinking that kind of action as sort of "killjoy" to a supposed "clean fun" event; but despite having few fully dressed black and some chose to wear black alongside their school colours, the awareness of using the games as a platform of protest did spread- and some did even use it to express their disgust by waving banners telling that the disputed West Philippine Sea is Philippine territory, while others pointing badly towards those from the government such as those of Harry Roque or Bong Go watching the game. 

But for some, this politicised attempt was deemed as a "stupid idea" the way they insist wearing their respective colours. For according to U.P.'s executive vice president Ted Herbosa via his Facebook posts, he sought that black shirt attempt as making its Jesuit Neighbour taunt his school , and he even added that those supporters who would not wear maroon “does not have a U.P. Spirit” if not "showing disrespect to the basketball team"; furthermore, he tells that "Sports teaches everyone life lessons" and let none (those who politicise the event) take the stage away from the basketball team or from the event itself.

Other than Herbosa, there are some would even mock the game badly the way they look both schools as "subversives", tagging both AdMU and U.P. as "reds" or "yellows"; and others would even say, although mockingly, that the "communists" will win especially after the Philippines' premiere national university won against Vincentian's own Adamson. 

Irritating right? But beyond all these taunts and bullshit in social media, this shows that Sports cannot remain just "Sports" alone no matter how one would insist its "purity". That from a usual brawl between both teams, to the players and organisers themselves using both the game as a form of expression; if not seeing how Sports has also sometime been a subject of many scandals and controversies- and most of which were and are politically motivated, especially if one or another often use it as a sign of protest.

And history attests to those politically-laced kind of events. In fact, during the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Hungarian and Soviet water polo teams face-to-face with tension. With various beats and blows alongside reaching goals, that water polo match turned bloodier especially when Hungary's Ervin Zador was punched in the eye by Valentin Prokopov of the Soviet team; that match did provoke badly as many angry spectators, in sympathy to the Hungarian team, jumped onto the concourse beside the water, shook their fists, shouted abuse and spat at the Soviets while Pictures of Zádor's injuries were published around the world, leading to the "Blood in the Water" moniker.

but despite those, Hungary's Water Polo team defeated the Soviets in the score of 4–0. Quite politically-motivated indeed as one would say for coincidentally, Hungary was fresh from it's defeat during their revolt against the Soviet Union, and many players saw the Olympics as their way to salvage pride for their country. Afterwards, Hungary was declared the winner since they had been leading and then beat Yugoslavia 2–1 in the final to win their fourth Olympic gold medal. However, Zádor's injury would force him to miss the match.
After the event was completed, Zador and some of his teammates sought asylum in the United States, rather than returning to live in a Hungary under a firmly pro-Soviet regime; from there they, aside from being sportsmen, are also to be known as political refugees.

Another politically-motivated example was the "Black Power salute". For in 1968, during a medal ceremony in the Olympic Stadium in Mexico City, Athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos, who had won gold and bronze medals respectively in the 200-meter running event of the 19th Summer Olympiad, turned to face the US flag as the "Star-Sprangled Banner" played- only to have their hands raised until the anthem had finished. That gesture did provoked badly-especially when the late International Olympic Committee President Avery Brundage ordered the two players be suspended from the U.S. team and banned from the Olympic Village. Yet when the U.S. Olympic Committee refused, Brundage threatened to ban the entire track team. This threat led to the expulsion of the two athletes from the Games.

Ironically, Brundage, who was president of the United States Olympic Committee during the 1936 Berlin Olympics, had made no objections against the controversial Nazi salute. He even argued that the salute, being a national salute at the time, was acceptable in a competition of nations, while the salute of Smith and Carlos was that not of a nation and therefore unacceptable.

Through these examples alone, Sports hath been an arena of action- for underneath the game they're enjoying, be it a player or an aficionado, there are those whom transformed it into something significant, although in a controversial way to invoke a belief. That from the players who took their spare time promoting their favorite Sport into communities as form of empowerment, to those whose awareness brought to the use of their favorite game as a form of direct action, creatively making bullshit as much as possible.

Anyway, admittingly speaking, if not for that Sports being politicised, of a populace gone politically agitated including those of the players and uses the games as another platform for a belief, then right is Guillaume Faye that Spectator Sports (one of which is Basketball) as "merely neutral" events that have no impact on anyone's life, let alone just escapism, with society's masters charging them with false meaning in order to infantilise consciences as it continues to conceal social problems and the failings of politics.
And like Religion during the middle ages, it cannot be denied that Sports is itself becoming an "opium of the people" alongside social media, showbusiness, and even politics itself. Sorry for the words being vented though, for as time goes by and seeing such things like these no wonder Marx and Faye hath the right to say so.

But in fairness, despite events surrounding, Sports, as any other feat, celebrates the accomplishments of others the way UAAP-member schools U.P. and AdMU did enjoy their "one big politicised kind of fight" they're doing despite those who insist their usual "clean fun". And from the arena itself there are those who did wear their school colours and some would even wear it alongside their protest black, that somehow made both teams did really heed the cause use it as a platform to express their angst towards a nobody they abhor to.

Yet one thing this writer and others concerned would say this, that the game, like all others, continues to teach lessons such as humility, cooperation, respecting rules, perseverance, and fairness. Attributes that meant to flourish especially in a time of disquiet and rage.