I hope this recent interest in football or as known by the Americans, as soccer is not just a fad or uso lamang with the kilig factor.
I'm saying this because we are not very good at basketball. Despite a huge following and being the seemingly "national sport" and add to that, that every Tom, Dick and Harry could play it, adds to its popularity (sometimes traffic too with some basketball courts in the middle of the road.) But if anything, we are only mediocre in this game. Maybe its the height, who knows. The last time we made it big in basketball must have been about 50 years ago with Caloy Loyzaga. We may have dominated South East Asia and the Sea Games but compare that to the other sports that we truly have excelled in.
Let me qualify my statement by comparing our gains in other sports were Filipinos do excel. We all know boxing- from Elorde, of course Pacquiao and now Donaire. Then we have bowling, with Paeng Nepomuceno and billiards in which we have several champions like Bata Reyes, Bustamante, recently Orcollo etc.
Compare this with our gains in basketball (I know this may upset several people since Filipinos are passionate about this sport) but we have to consider other sports that is more in line with I guess, our physique and were we have made considerable gains. I hope besides the UAAP and the NCAA, that a football team for these league will develop. As mentioned by others, football will fit the average or typical Filipino physique.
Wait, theres also golf were we may also excel but we have to keep out our politicians, generals and other government officials from playing internationally. For obvious reasons.
I hope that this issue will not die as soon as the "pogi" players of azkals goes over exposed, and also not just because it's "uso" as of the moment.
ReplyDeleteMeh, the Azkals have never won anything significant. Sure they have popularized a "new" sport but they are yet to prove their true worth.
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