Why I am for Manny Pacquiao living his dream

Manny Pacquiao  AP FILE PHOTO

I am all for Manny Pacquiao joining the PBA whether as a coach or a player or as playing coach.

Why should we deny him his dream?

Prior to the residency rule for Filipino-Americans who have to play in the PBA D-League or any of the local leagues, they went to the draft with no one having seen them play. As a result, we ended up with some great players who will no doubt go down as some of the best in PBA history. We also ended up with some lemons—now there’s a term commonly used for imports—and Fil-Shams.

We’ve had coaches come on board with their only credentials as having played the game or worked the commentators’ booth. One has even become the best coach in the PBA if not today maybe for all time. Dude, it doesn’t follow that if you were a great player then you can coach. I’ve seen many of them fail in the most basic of things—communication. They were never good in communicating as a player and yet they are made a head coach. That’s fine, right? Give them a chance. If they didn’t work out then their booted out.

So why aren’t we willing to give the same latitude to Manny?

People were upset when he dabbled in showbiz. Even more people got upset when he ran for public office. Granted we are never known as a land of opportunity but should we pigeonhole or even stereotype him into a life of merely a boxer?

All this reminds me when Michael Jordan quit basketball to play baseball. “He is embarrassing the game,” criticized Sports illustrated. Who cares if he didn’t have a stellar baseball career? What matters is he tried to fulfill a lifelong dream. That doesn’t even taint his legacy as the GOAT (greatest of all time).

Isn’t that some bit of advice we ALWAYS provide others – to try. And if they don’t make it, at least they know.

Showbiz? Noon pa showbiz ‘yung PBA. Opening Day may muses at song and dance numbers pa. In all my years watching the NBA or Euroleagues I have never seen muses for any of the teams. Eh, ganyan dito. Gusto ng entertainment

I don’t know if you’re old enough to remember that short-lived television show that featured Sonny Jaworski and Francis Arnaiz as a pair of cops. We even had Benjie Paras and others getting into it.

It’s okay if basketball players go into showbiz but it’s not okay for them to try and play ball in the PBA.

When Ricky Palou, the late Jun Bernardino and others put up the V-League, many said, what do a couple of basketball guys know about volleyball? These gentlemen have done more for the sport than even the local sports association that has rode the coattails of their success.

We vote actors and sportsmen into public office sometimes with nary a record of service yet we are unwilling to give someone who has given us so much to be proud of an opportunity in his basketball dream.

Some might say that that will take away from his duties as a boxer and a congressman. Some say that he is taking away opportunities from others. As it is said in legalese, conclusive presumption is one in which the proof of certain facts makes the existence of the assumed fact beyond dispute.

Whether Manny is good enough to play/coach or not hasn’t even been decided. That is for the people to decide when it happens or should it ever happen. I don’t think he is going into this to fail. He will surround himself with people who can help him. After all, he has always done that.

And if you’ve followed his career as a congressman from Sarangani, he has learned from losing in his initial foray into politics. He has fought the RH Bill as well as human and sex trafficking, supported a bill to increase the minimum wage, and endorsed the construction of classrooms, multi-purpose buildings and whatnot for his constituents among many others.

We are such a nation of crabs that we are willing to pull down people.

I, on the other hand, choose to be in his corner – there’s a boxing reference if ever – for this.

Good luck to Manny. I am sure he is going to need it.

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