New chair wants to expand PBA fan base

SEOUL—Mikee Romero gave out his marching orders as new chair of the PBA and wants Asia’s pioneering pro league to go the same direction most entities are heading: tap the social media market and go regional.

Realizing the need to attract more fans and prevent the PBA from stagnating, Romero, during the league’s annual planning session here, wants to create awareness through social media while at the same time harness affiliation between players and fans.

To do that, the league will reformat its annual All-Star Week into a regional affair by creating squads according to provinces and dialects spoken.

“If we move the PBA forward, live streaming is the way of the future,” Romero, the GlobalPort team owner, said during a break in the meeting at The Plaza Hotel in this South Korean capital. “We have to broaden our base.”

“I want to expand the reach of the PBA,” he said.

Commissioner Chito Narvasa had already formed a social media editorial board to carry out the concerns raised by Romero, who replaced Robert Non of San Miguel.

Also finalized during the meeting was the naming of Ramon Fernandez of NLEX as vice chair and Dickie Bachmann of Alaska as treasurer.

Romero also wants the commissioner to draw up a format where the league can play multiple games, discarding the usual North versus South format, by identifying the specific provinces from where the players come from.