MOST of the colleagues who I’ve talked with thought the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) may have overreached itself when it expanded from 10 teams during its inaugural conference to 26 in the next, barely a few months after it launched.
It was a big hit in its first season and it was understandable that a lot of potential team owners wanted to be in the hottest league in town. So from 10, it expanded to 26 in Season 2 and from 26 it is now at 31.
Prudence dictates that the initial 10 owners should have enjoyed the benefits of having thrown their faith in the fledging league, with the league helping to make sure they become viable franchises that can stand on their own and not rely on the generosity of an owner.
But, it seems the league was in a hurry to become the NBA of the Philippines, growing to 31 in three years, one more than the NBA. Lately, I’ve been reading about how some players, coaches and even league staff have gone underpaid and I’ve waited for official word from the league.
So far, we haven’t heard any.
One team has reportedly gone three months without playing its players and that’s an added stress, not only to the players, but to the families that rely on them. Add to that the cruelty of some Pinoy fans when it comes to deriding supposedly ill-prepared players and what you have is a player struggling both off and on the court.
And that shouldn’t be the case. The league should make sure that players get paid on time. Heck, in some leagues, teams get booted out even after the season starts if it misses on players’ wages. Because leagues know that without the players, there is no league.
Sadly, in the case of the Philippines, players are taken for granted, sometimes in favor of the owners.
Despite the hiccups, the MPBL is starting to become the league which most of the Filipinos identify with. Community basketball really has a room in this country. I just hope those that run the MPBL will make sure the players get paid and the teams become sustainable.
The country fell in love with the MBA, only to have its heart broken after a series of bad decisions that led to the first nationwide community-based basketball league to close. That wasn’t too long ago and the MPBL need only to look at the mistakes of the MBA to know what it shouldn’t do.