Play the right age

The revival of the Batang Pinoy nationwide program to discover a new generation of sports achievers is a most welcome development.  Shelved for a few years, the program reemerges in the hope of finding sports talent from the 15 years old and below age bracket.

The program aims to unearth gems from both the in-school and out-of-school youth in key cities throughout the country. The intentions are strategic since sports talent is not limited to those in school who get to play in organized leagues.  Out-of-school youth standouts will get a shot at athletic glory in this program and hopefully, get a chance at education and better living opportunities.

The Philippine Sports Commission and the other organizers will no doubt do everything to insure the proper staging of the games.  However, whenever there is an age limit or requirement in any sports event, you can’t help but wear your skeptic’s hat if the rule is really being followed.

Ambitious coaches and even political leaders can wax enthusiastic over an athletic find only to discover that the kid is overage for a youth tournament.  Often, the overzealous adults will find some odd way to make the athlete young enough to meet the age requirements.

Some overage kids are told to have short haircuts or shave for a more youthful look.  Older players inserted into boys’ lineups are told not to speak so that nobody notices that one athlete already has the early years of a deep baritone voice.

You say why not check official documents like birth or baptismal certificates?  Even that can be maneuvered around.  An overage athlete will be asked to use another name in the tournament, usually one from a “borrowed” birth certificate.  If it’s a team sport, the other members of the team will be asked to share the secret and call their older teammate by a new “birth certificate” name.

This has happened in many school leagues and seemingly innocent barangay or parish tournaments.  In the 60s and 70s, I lived for 24 years in Sta. Cruz, Manila and played in “mosquito” or toddler and junior leagues in street courts and saw how birth certificates were “shared” to beef up lineups in age-restricted tournaments.

You can say that was so long ago but we’ve seen it happen in recent sports history when we lost a youth international baseball title because of wrongly declared player ages.  The practice is still very much around and wrongly accepted as just another one of those Pinoy cultural quirks.
Misguided coaches and managers will tell a brilliant overage  athlete “kaming bahala sa ’yo” (We’ll take care of you) until organizers learn of the shenanigan and the deceit explodes in the adults’ faces.

Let’s not mess up Batang Pinoy or any other age-restricted leagues with distorted adult values.  Deceivers, stay away.  Bring your overage athletes to other tournaments and training centers where they will be accepted.  Your prudence will be your best contribution for Philippine sports.