Lessons from a game that was never played

Crisis communication advisers will tell you that when an organization or individual is in a public dilemma, it is primarily a perception issue.

Thus, this current crease about the NBA stars not playing a full game against Gilas Pilipinas is being critiqued and analyzed by the most important participant in the equation: the public.

The discussion between main supporter PLDT and East West Private LLC, the middle party or liaison between the NBA and the local organizers, should continue in the days to come. The Inquirer front-page report of assistant Sports editor Francis Ochoa yesterday was quite clear that there was a struggle to eventually stage a game between the NBA players and Gilas. The NBA was adamant and insisted that East West failed to secure the proper approval.

It’s interesting that the angle that “no game was actually promised” has surfaced and is adding more fuel to the public outrage. The visit of the NBA players was promoted heavily in various media platforms as “The Last Home Stand” of Gilas before embarking on the journey to the World Championship and the Asian Games.

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It doesn’t take much for a basketball fan to conclude that there would be a game if the event was promoted as a “last stand.”  Thus, the public perception now is that they were deceived and had made such a huge financial and personal effort to get to the event.

Correctly, PLDT-Smart top honcho Manuel V. Pangilinan has apologized for the event being reduced to a practice session and has created means for refunds to be made to ticket holders.

The NBA will survive this incident because it remained steadfast to its Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players. Nothing would be more horrifying if the players who went overseas and actually played games would suffer injuries or be exposed to security risks.

Strong positive public perception by Filipinos for the league will remain intact because of its pervasive presence in all media forms and clear appreciation of the quality of play and its performers.

However, given all the legalities the NBA remained faithful to, could the league have failed to notice that the Philippines and the organizers of the event had the experience and logistics to stage such huge extravaganzas? Or was the league more concerned about how its procedure was followed?

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After all that has been said and re-said, what will be left will be lessons for all those who organize such events, whether they be sports, theatrical productions or concerts.

It’s clear that we relish it when international performers come to our shores. Not all of us can go abroad to watch NBA games, Broadway plays or concerts in New York or Las Vegas.  We will make an effort, save every extra centavo and brave traffic and rain to watch the performances here at home.

This should not be lost on organizers and promoters. It’s the public perception that supports and patronizes the events and the audience should be at the top of the checklist when it’s time to these extravaganzas again.