The PBA’s brave gambit

The Philippine Basketball Association is once again opening its doors to more Filipino-American or hybrid Filipino players. This is a brave gambit considering the mixed results of a similar experiment more than 20 years ago. It is a signal of the changing times, and it will benefit both the league and Philippine team in the mid- to long-term. The first Fil-Am players to gain renown in the PBA were Willie Pearson and Ricardo Brown, who both made solid contributions to the league. Brown was Rookie of the Year in 1983 and Most Valuable Player in 1985. Both men carried themselves with quiet dignity and respectability.

In the 1980’s, the PBA was somewhat isolated, as management then wanted to keep it for a mainly Filipino audience. But when the Basketball Association of the Philippines convinced the association to lend its players to the national team, things changed. The league courageously gave its best talent to the national cause, and made history. Of course, it also made itself vulnerable to criticism, and a second-place finish to China in the 1990 Asian Games showed how the balance of power in the continent had shifted. This sparked the desire for a long, challenging climb back to Asian supremacy.

In the late 1990’s, the Metropolitan Basketball Association was born, initially meant to be a second-tier league when ABS-CBN placed an earnest bid for the PBA. However, when the network was not able to win the league’s TV rights, it bumped up the MBA in an attempt to rival Asia’s pioneer basketball brand. One new wrinkle they introduced was allowing each team to have a maximum of two Fil-Am players. All they required was a birth certificate proving Filipino lineage. (Unknown to many, the ultimate goal was merely transfer of knowledge. Fil-Ams were meant to be phased out after five years.) In the first season, being born in the Philippines was enough. This short-lived rule gave Philippine basketball Alex Compton.

In response, the PBA opened itself up to unlimited Fil-foreign players. One team even ended up with ten of them. This gave great opportunities to incredible interracial talent, as the children of Filipino migrant workers from the boom in the  late 1970’s onwards could now play professionally for their motherland. The results were bigger, more athletic players flying in to prove their eligibility. Unfortunately, the emphasis on size caused the game to slow down. And for both leagues, the roguish behavior and dubious origins of some of those adopted players cast a shadow on both leagues, propelling the periodic Senate inquiries into fake Fil-Ams, which led to no significant legislation. A handful of those Fil-Ams were clearly more American than Filipino in attitude, were arrogant and ill-mannered, and were ultimately proven to not be Filipino. One other side effect was a certain disconnect with fans. It was hard to imagine becoming an incredibly tall, muscular import type of player. Aspirational value was lost. Some of these guys were alien pirates taking jobs from locals.

In 2003, the Senate Committee on Games, Amusements and Sports of Robert Barbers, John Osmeña and Robert Jaworski (before sports was separated into its own committee) investigated the likes of Sonny Alvarado, Davonn Harp, Rob Parker, Dorian Pena, and others. Most were cleared. A few were suspended or banned. The PBA then took it upon itself to tighten up on the requirements for Fil-Am players. In 2004, only two made it into the league, and of those two, only Sonny Thoss lasted.

As a fan, one hopes that the new generation of Fil-Am players give the league respect and reverence. The more recent additions to the association have shown more professionalism that some of their predecessors. The emphasis on talent, not size, has added new dimensions of excitement to local pro basketball. And if at least one of their parents was Filipino at the time of their birth, then they should be allowed to play.

This will also be another chance for homegrown players to hold their own against the newcomers, as the level of play has changed much in the last two decades. Today’s local players are taller, stronger, better nourished, better trained, more confident, and have far more international exposure. The national team has done much to raise the bar, and its symbiotic relationship with the PBA has greatly helped both. Besides, we all want the league to succeed. That’s the bottomline.