REP. Mikee Romero wants to ban foreign players from college leagues to encourage fair play, foster development of local players and to encourage players to finish their degree.
It’s a load of hogwash, I say.
There are a lot of things the country can do to accomplish those three things without resorting to a myopic ban of foreign players. A ban that I think is targeted at a few Manila schools but will affect the rest of the country.
Fair play in college basketball leagues? Well, the bidding war for Greg Slaughter went as high as P10 million, while that for Ben Mbala went as high as P15 million. I got those figures from sources who were involved with the schools. How can there be fair play in college basketball if you have some schools seemingly with bottomless pockets thanks to generous alumni?
Football adapted financial fair play. How about we do the same? Put a cap on the amount a school can spend on recruitment. That may also have the added benefit of transparency. We all know what schools offer on paper to certain players differ a lot to what players--plus their parents, uncle, agent, favorite coach--actually receive. How about a legislation that will discourage that?
Romero also said the fact these imports transfer leagues belie the notion that they are here for education. I agree with him on that regard but why target the imports? In Manila right now, we have a slew of one and done players. They’re called that because they’ve finished their degrees in one league on a scholarship but are still eligible for one more year in the Manila league.
And what can one student accomplish with that additional year in college? A master’s degree? I don’t think so.
Fair play should be a concept that applies to all.Not one Manila school can cry out because another Manila school happens to have richer alumni.
What I don’t like about this blanket ban is that schools in the country see foreign students as a revenue stream. Just check the increasing number of foreign students who are enrolled in our schools. What are we essentially telling them with this ban? That you are only good as paying students but are not eligible as student athletes?
It reeks of hypocrisy.
There are foreign students who play college football too and this ban will unfairly hit them.
What Representative Romero wants to accomplish is remarkable but I think adopting a ban on foreign players is the wrong way to accomplish it. We all know money talks in the college basketball scene, and I think a legislation that will address that greater problem will not only benefit Manila schools but all collegiate leagues in the country.
Yes, we want Filipinos to enjoy scholarships and these one-and-done players, for me, deserve better scrutiny than the foreign players. I don’t think these guys are suiting up for the education side of things. Aren’t these guys robbing deserving locals of a spot in the roster?
There’s something wrong with our college leagues but this ban is not the solution.