Investing in the UP Fighting Maroons

When I reached the standing room only section of the Araneta Coliseum last Wednesday for Game 2 of the basketball finals between UP and Ateneo, there was already a mammoth crowd of UP students — cheering, shrieking, and shouting their hearts out. 

I was blown away. The fighting spirit was raw, unwavering, unrelenting. Every time the UP Fighting Maroons hit the basket, the sea of maroon-clad boys and girls went wild. If you didn’t look at the scoreboard, you’d think we were champions already.

It was such an honor to stand with such a brave crowd, cheering for such a brave team.

Sports patrons

The UP Fighting Maroons men’s basketball team would not have made it this far without the generosity of sports patrons. They are some of the country’s biggest business magnates.

Robina Gokongwei, the eldest daughter of tycoon John Gokongwei, is among those who invested in the team. 

One would think that Robina would be too traumatized to even look back at UP. It’s no secret that in 1981, then in her early 20s, Robina was kidnapped on her way to the Diliman Campus.

She had to finish her studies abroad after what happened. But her love for UP did not waver. She has been an avid supporter of the team. 

One time during the semi-finals, Robina hosted a dinner for the team. She was beaming with pride and the boys adored her, their “maam Robina.” 

The day after UP’s Cinderella run into the finals after beating Adamson in the do-or-die game, I bumped into her at the wake of tycoon George Ty. She was jubilant over UP’s victory and if we weren’t in a wake, I think she would have jumped for joy.

Another sports patron is Caesar Wongchuking, son of the late cigarette tycoon Wong Chu King. Caesar is an Atenean, but he and UP’s Coach Bo Perasol are friends.

The Wongchukings’ Mighty Sports Apparel was the team’s official outfitter for this season. The boys sure looked good in their jerseys.

Businessman and art patron JJ Atencio is also an avid supporter of the team. He helped send the boys to trainings in the US and Serbia. “I’d like to think that these trainings helped the team become better and more competitive this year,” JJ told me. 

Asked why he decided to help UP even if he’s an Atenean, JJ said it’s consistent with the Jesuit way of “being a man for others.” 

He also identified with the team. 

“The UP Fighting Maroons is a classic story of a lot of people, including myself. We started with almost nothing, but because of hardwork, patience, diligence, and perseverance, we overcame our limitations and then finally gained respect, success, and wisdom,” he adds. 

The generosity of these sports patrons is invaluable. I hope other tycoons, especially those from UP, will invest in UP sports teams as well. 

During Wednesday’s game, distinguished UP alumni also showed their support. I saw Prof. Winnie Monsod, Tourism Sec. Berna Romulo and Philippine Competition Commissioner Stella and her husband Rep. Miro Quimbo.

The morning after

Lying in my bed the next day after the epic fight, I could still hear the chants of the crowd. It was magical. 

Congratulations Ateneo Blue Eagles for being this season’s champions.

But most of all, congratulations and thank you UP Fighting Maroons for fighting the good fight. Thank you for inspiring us at a time when our country is in the midst of truly uninspiring times. 

We didn’t win the title, but we reached a point nobody expected us to reach. The journey is its own reward.

It’s having the most real and intense experience in these very surreal times. It is believing in something when you’re running out of things to believe in these days. It is fighting with everything you’ve got — blood, sweat, and tears. 

It’s sitting through one loss after another, season after season so that one day your team would make it to the finals. It’s lining up for three hours to get SRO tickets and standing for three hours more for the actual game. It was braving the anxiety of watching a live game even as The STAR’s basketball coach Alfred Bartolome — a UE Red Warrior who was part of the team that lost to UP in that historic 1986 championship game — said that this time, only a miracle could make UP win.

But miracles happen and it happened that night in a different way. It was in the throbbing hearts of generations of Iskos and Iskas who cheered with fists raised, wide smiles and chin up to the very end. The UP spirit reverberated far beyond the Big Dome. It felt like we could live forever. 

It was such an honor to stand with you. 

This is what it means to be alive; this is what it means to be UP.

There was no bonfire at the Sunken Garden that night, but our hearts are burning with Maroon pride and the flames won’t ever go away.  

I am Iris Gonzales, UP Diliman College of Mass Communication, Class of ’98, standing tall and proud. 

Iris Gonzales’ e-mail address is [email protected]