PBA’s past crucial for its present

AS I ENTER my 14th PBA season, I am still fascinated when people approach to ask, “Kailan ang opening ng PBA? (When does the PBA open?)” It’s an opening line for a fan who hopes to engage in a little chat about the pro league. I always pause to listen and answer questions. Then, I smile when, in the end, they ask for tickets. Baka sakali (Just in case), the fan must be saying to himself.
I wish I could do something about the last item, but all I have left is a sheepish grin that says I don’t have any.
But each exchange is interesting, telling us that the league is still followed by a large chunk of the population. Despite doomsayers’ prediction of the slide, even demise, of the league, the PBA remains a premiere sports entertainment format.
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It’s because, as long as we have this never-ending romance for the game, the PBA will enjoy a position of strength in the minds of Filipino basketball fans everywhere.
It is, after all, Pinoy hoops.  Barangays, barkadas and office groups still talk about the PBA the morning after games. They go to the games when they can, with PBA venues enjoying the patronage of walk-in customers or those who just happened to be in the area and had time to watch.
Even if Kobe Bryant and the NBA are around, and there’s an overflowing of school spirit during the collegiate season, the PBA will be there to give the Pinoy his staple of hoops from the best Filipino players.
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Understandably, the league may have lost the Crispa-Toyota diehards and the passionate fans of the ’90s who relished the Purefoods-Ginebra-Shell-San Miguel heydays.
Age and the rise of other more pressing concerns may have taken once-youthful fans away from the PBA fold. But there are still Ginebra loyalists who keep the flame alive, and new, energized Alaska fans who have increased significantly.
All PBA teams do have pockets of support everywhere, many of whom are just getting to know the pro game.
It is this new generation of fans that the league must continuously reach out to while keeping its core of die-hards.
New commissioner Chito Salud, who has been meeting tirelessly with the different PBA working groups ahead of the season opening, has the zeal and energy to institute the changes that will bring in new followers, without losing the game’s time-honored rivalries and history.
For a time, there was a tendency to downplay the colorful past of the league because it tended to take the spotlight away from the present crop of teams.
Hopefully, though, this will no longer be the case since the league’s history has given birth to its present and that must always be respected.
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There is always a hopeful air when a new PBA season is around the corner. Talk about the player movements and the new alliances of teams always tickle the fans’ imagination.
So on Oct. 3, expect the buzz to increase many times over as the games get going.
People will no longer ask me about opening day after that. I’ll still smile, though, when they ask me days later for free tickets. Believe me, there are a lot who ask.