Convergence of business and sports
ALBERT GAMBOA
SAN FRANCISCO – Northern Californians are still in a celebratory mood over the victory of the Golden State Warriors (GSW) at the 2018 National Basketball Association (NBA) finals.
More than a month after the GSW’s victory parade in the East Bay suburb of Oakland, businesses have been cashing in on the home team’s back-to-back championship and its third in four years against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“GSW Fever” is evident in the number of Bay Area stores selling Warriors merchandise as well as buildings displaying blue-and-yellow banners congratulating a well-loved squad alternatively called the Dubs, The Bay, or The Town.
Warrior fans are excited about the off-season recruitment of a fifth NBA All-Star player, DeMarcus Cousins, in addition to a team already loaded with Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
Next season, they will likely face their Southern California rival Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals, now that the Lakers have lured LeBron James away from the Cavs.
In June 2019, GSW is predicted to face the Boston Celtics during the NBA championship. This might be the Warriors’ last stand at Oakland’s Oracle Arena, with their home court transferring next year to the brand-new Chase Center here in the Mission Bay area near downtown San Francisco.
All these would mean more business for the fitness industry and the ancillary sectors that supply the sporting universe.
Connecting balers
Filipino athletes are on the global spotlight these days for divergent reasons. Making headlines worldwide this month was the brawl between our national basketball team, Gilas Pilipinas, and the Boomers of Australia during the FIBA World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.
Another headliner was the WBA welterweight title match won by Manny Pacquiao against Lucas Matthysse of Argentina at the Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur, witnessed by President Rodrigo Duterte and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. This, while the rest of the football-crazy world was engrossed with the FIFA World Cup 2018 in Russia.
Football will never dislodge basketball as the Philippines’ top sport. Aside from the traditional five-on-five hoops, gaining popularity in the basketball scene is the 3×3 format that will become an Olympic sport starting with the 2020 Tokyo Olympiad.
In fact, the Philippine Arena was also the venue of the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2018 last month. More than 30 countries participated in the two main tournaments for men and women, plus the individual contests in skills, dunking, and three-point shooting.
The Philippines is the first country in the world to professionalize the three-point shootout competition. Pioneering this sport and adding a new dimension to the game of basketball is the Kings of Threes tournament launched
arlier this year by the Subic Development and Industrial Estate Corp. (Sudeco).
Sanctioned by the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) — the state-run regulatory agency for professional sports in the Philippines — this year-round tournament is open to anyone above 13 years old, whether amateurs or pros. Cash prizes are at stake, along with bragging rights to be called kings from beyond the arc.
Brought to Metro Manila by Buendia Food by the Court in Makati City and Taft Food by the Court in Pasay City,
the Kings of Threes tournament is being held in cooperation with Dayo, an online-based app targeting basketball-loving Filipinos with its mantra of “Connecting Ballers.”
Recently it produced the country’s (and the world’s) first two professional three-point shooters: Jan Carlos Cifra, a 25-year-old graduate of Centro Escolar University in Manila; and Benjie Peralta, a 39-year-old tricycle driver from Caloocan City.
GAB chairman Abraham Mitra has issued professional licenses to Messrs. Peralta and Cifra, the latter being a Guinness World Record holder for most treys made in 60 seconds.
Sudeco president Paul Elauria believes that three-point shootouts can become big due to basketball’s changing landscape globally. He said: “For the Philippines to reclaim its basketball glory, we have to specialize in three-point shooting.”
If Filipinos can’t be world champions in five-on-five basketball, our best chance is to excel in both the 3×3 and three-point shooting leagues — the emerging equalizers in the competitive world of sports.
The author is CFO of the Asian Center for Legal Excellence and Chairman of the FINEX Golden Jubilee Book Project.
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