u/heavydoseofatmos

Every time na nasa diskusyon tungkol dun sa never-ending feud ng basketball and football, ang daming feeling matalino na pag nagsabi ng, "Uhh, privately funded po ang PBA. 🤓☝️"

That's not the point.

There's no denying na super nado-dominate ng basketball ang buong grassroots ecosystem sa Pilipinas. Makeshift basketball courts sa gilid-gilid, barangay basketball courts with inter-barangay championships, basketball courts sa loob ng subdivisions and villages, hoops sa mga bahay niyo, basketball clinics and youth camps only dedicated sa basketball, top sport sa intercollegiate tournaments na halos wala nang coverage yung ibang sports, and many, many more.

When one sport occupies almost the entire base of the pyramid, there's very little room left for football to build the same foundation.

What we're asking is sana mas marami pang accessible football pitches. Puro kayo, "Uhh, PriVaTeLy FuNDeD Po AnG PBA." That's so insignificant considering na busog na busog ang basketball sa grassroots, to the point na nilamon na ng basketball ang buong space for grassroots na wala nang natira for other sports. Even Alex Eala mentioned this.

Kid me wanted to play football for free every day so badly (like how you do basketball), but there was nowhere to play here in Quezon City, and none of the three elementary schools I attended even offered it. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who felt that way.

People keep bringing up professional leagues whenever this discussion comes up, but don't y'all actually want to play the sport too? Puro kayo "nood" whether it's football or basketball. Puro PBA, PBA. PFL, PFL. Eh saan n'yo ba akala nanggagaling ang mga players ng mga league na 'yan? Hindi ba it all starts at the bottom/grassroots? Sa basketball, madame, busog. Sa football, all in all, nonexistent.

Football shouldn't only exist on TV or online. It should be something kids and adults can easily play after school or after work too, just like basketball. Hanggang rocket league nalang most football fans dito... like me personally. And honestly, sa mga naka-usap kong football fan ni Rocket League nga or other football videogames di sila naglalaro. Kahit foosball sa office lol. So literal na spectator nalang. Unlike basketball na you can play anywhere, anytime here sa Philippines.

TL;DR: I'm not talking about the PBA, I'm talking about grassroots. Every professional player comes from grassroots, and that's exactly where football in the Philippines needs more support and opportunities. Just like how it is in basketball. We start at the bottom, not at the top.