SMB-Talk N Text

When San Miguel and Talk N Text face off in a championship series, the sports world knows it’s more than just the two teams facing off on the floor per se. The ongoing San Miguel-Talk N Text championship series in the Philippine Basketball Association is a perfect reflection of how two of the biggest business icons of the country have invested in sports to grow their brands and to support the sports industry. No other firms have invested as much as these two groups in sports. As a sports fan, we thank them for all their contribution in sports and wish more private companies follow suit and also get into sports.

The San Miguel group of Ramon Ang and Danding Cojuangco also owns and manages the Ginebra San Miguel and Star (Purefoods) teams in the PBA. They are the main backers of the basketball program of De La Salle University and also maintain the volleyball team Petron in the Pilipinas Super Liga. I’m sure they also maintain many other sports teams in different fields and also sponsor major sports events. Cojuangco with his NCC or Northern Cement Corporation was the primary supporter of the Philippine basketball team of the 80s that saw the rebirth of Pinoy hoops in the Asian scene. This marked the entry of American coach Ron Jacobs to the national team and the arrival of Americans who were naturalized to play for the country. If you were from my generation, I’m sure you still remember Chip Engelland, Jeff Moore and Dennis Still playing alongside Samboy Lim, Hector Calma and Allan Caidic. So what? It’s worth remembering that practically the same national team was granted a special concession to transfer to the PBA and formed the San Miguel team, the every same team that continues to make waves today, albeit with a different cast.

On the other hand, Talk N Text is the lead team of the MVP group of companies of Manny Pangilinan. Their other PBA teams include NLEX and Meralco. The MVP group also includes Smart, PLDT, Medical City and a host of other firms in other fields. They are also the main backers of the college basketball teams of Ateneo de Manila in the UAAP and San Beda College of the NCAA. They also have the Cignal volleyball team in the PSL. Like San Miguel, I’m sure they also support many other teams and sponsor sports events across the country. Aside from all these, the MVP group is also the main supporter of the national basketball team program of the country. Gilas Pilipinas has been bankrolled by the MVP group ever since Pangilinan took over the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. While he is no longer the President of the SBP, he now sits on the FIBA Central Advisory Board. He is responsible for the country’s hosting of the FIBA Asia Cup in 2013 and the FIBA Olympic Qualifier Tournament in 2016. I’m pretty sure he’ll also be very much involved in the hosting of the FIBA 3X3 World Cup 2018.

The Philippines has a unique sports landscape where corporate giants manage teams and are recognized for this. This is primarily for marketing / branding purposes. Teams are named after brands that are found in the mass market, and by getting into sports, these brands hope to get extra publicity, PR or commercial mileage. Our basketball and volleyball leagues are composed of teams named after some of the country’s biggest brands. Aside from the teams mentioned earlier, the PBA has Alaska, GlobalPort, Phoenix, Blackwater and Rain or Shine. In the volleyball leagues, you’ll hear of teams like Pocari Sweat, Bali Pure, Creamline, Cignal, Petron, Foton, F2 Logistics and more which I forget at the moment. The list goes on and one from the biggest to the smallest leagues in the country. Our local leagues here have teams called Harley Davidson, Cebu Landmasters, Gaisano Capital, ASPA, ARQ, and more.

In the pro leagues of other countries, the teams are known by their local city or town names. Everyone knows that NBA champion Golden State is named after the state of California while Cleveland is a premier city of the state of Ohio. In the football world, the most popular teams are Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and more. Corporate sponsors come in and sponsor these teams and get opportunities to have their logos printed on the front of the official uniforms and anything related to the team. Ever wonder by Golden State’s homecourt is called the Oracle Arena? Cleveland’s home stadium is called the Quicken Loans Arena. What was known as the “Big Dome” in Cubao is now called the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And before I forget, the PBA championship series is tied 1-all. With sports marketing as a way of life, we somehow forget who’s actually playing. But it’s something we’re all used to already, di ba? Let’s put it this way. My cellphone provider is Smart and I also happen to drink San Miguel beer (Pale Pilsen of San Mig Light). So who wins? I’m afraid both Smart/Talk N Text and San Miguel end up winners after all the texting, calling and surfing that we all do, plus those last rounds of the country’s one and only our favorite brew. Cheers! 

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