Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) chair Ricky Vargas says he wants a more entertaining and dramatic new season.
Vargas didn’t point to any deficiency in the PBA.
But he said more dynamic free-flowing games should be of big help in boosting attendance.
There was a visible thinning of crowds last season, with the league holding many games in the provinces and metro outskirts.
Willie Marcial, the new PBA commissioner, has done his best to lure back spectators.
But there’s no certainty there would be greater attendance now.
Marcial said they’ve laid out plans to entice more fans to watch games live. He mentioned: more attractive prices, live social media interaction and halftime entertainment.
Sounds good, but it would help greatly if the league decision-makers could go down and talk to fans themselves, mainly those who have started skipping PBA games for various reasons.
One problem being singled out was the tiring dominance of teams from the giant conglomerate San Miguel Corporation.
There’s also the proliferation of substandard players, mainly from the new franchises, that drag and hobble down action.
It used to be that practically all PBA games could be a real treat.
By the way, it was announced that there would be tweaks in officiating: goal-tending will be reviewable, coaches may call timeouts verbally without gesturing a T, the travelling guideline of 0-1-2 will be observed, fouls will be reviewable at the referees’ discretion.
Chair Vargas has also been overheard as saying many PBA games were “overofficiated.”
He was obviously pining for the days, during the reign of the well-admired late commissioner Rudy Salud, when the no-harm, no-foul rule was in full effect.
Yes, shouldn’t referees be disallowed from ruling the hardcourt as though they were thirsty unforgiving traffic cops?
It was Salud who brought it up—borrowing from the legendary Lauro Mumar—how game rules should not be made to cramp the flow of the game. Instead rules should serve like music to help rhythm and colorful conduct on the floor.
In closing salute, Salud had also confided that the PBA was conceived purely for public entertainment, the Asiad being the highest target, with no view or plan whatsoever of venturing blindly into major international tournaments.
The PBA should be made to realize and accept the league’s inborn manpower and talent limitations.