Rama: How will sports be in 2012?

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

HOW will sports be in 2012?

Predictions for what 2012 will be like for Cebu, the rest of the country and the world at large swings between rosy to downright dreary.

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It will be, said BBC’s James Robbins, for example, a “dangerously rudderless year with key leaders in the US, China, Russia and France distracted by elections or changes at the top.”

And since whatever happens in these large economies always impact our part of the world, seeing the business sector acting conservatively, at least for the early part of this year, shouldn’t come as a surprise.

This means a lot for sports; given that business is the real bankroller of sports in this country (offense actually intended to sports-related government bodies).

The Asian Development Bank’s projection for the Philippines—that the local economy will see a five-percent increase in gross domestic product through strong investment inflow and consumption—will successfully mitigate things, I hope.

“Our outlook for the Philippines hinges on the government following through on its plans to reduce the fiscal deficit, and improve governance and the business environment. Jump-starting the planned public-private partnerships will give investment a strong boost,” Neeraj Jain, ADB country director for the Philippines said in an official release.

Moreover, 2012 is an Olympic and Paralympics year.

Ties unquestionably bind sports and business. Those who doubt only needs to count the number of banners that represent corporate sponsors in sporting events.

In fact, one measure of whether or not a sporting event will be successful is to count how many sponsors are willing to help fund the endeavor.

A case in point: how many brands are reflected in Manny Pacquiao’s boxing shorts and how much did they pay in getting their names emblazoned thereat?

This is something the sport-shooting community of Cebu is starting to recognize.

Over the last year or so, I’ve noticed an increase in the number of firms willing to sponsor practical shooting matches. It is a step in the right direction and I hope organizers can sustain the momentum.

This also reflects a widening of awareness on the part of the business sector on the shooting sport.

There was a time that many companies wouldn’t touch shooting with a 10-foot pole; worried that the “violent” nature of the sport would damage its image and reputation.

Sponsorship is a commodity bought by the currency of exposure.

I hope the media is able to influence how things go through the frequency and depth of its coverage of whatever sporting events get calendared.

I am confident that this angle is adequately addressed at least in Cebu.

As early as mid-December, while everybody else was busy with Christmas parties and, days later, the campaign to send assistance to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the Sportswriters Association of Cebu (SAC), busied itself with planning for its 30th SAC Awards, definitely the biggest recognition event for athletes south of the nation’s capital.

I will leave the details of this to-look-forward-to event to SAC President John Pages and members of the committee.

On a less jubilant note, it pained me to read the news of Jan. 2, that stray bullets injured a total of eight people in Cebu City, Consolacion, Liloan, Danao, Minglanilla and Lapu-Lapu.

I doubt if efforts to investigate incidents like this will ever be successful, given our lack of forensic facilities for ballistics.

Our best bet remains on community-based awareness campaigns for responsible firearm ownership. Too bad that the only discussions I hear on guns is whether or not to ban it.

I haven’t been much help, I have to admit; I have missed far too many deadlines.

I hope 2012 changes that.

(knrama@gmail.com)