EVER since the NBA players union got very vocal about the planned restart of the league in Orlando later this month, I read a few posts of how the players in the PBA should have their own union so they can have their voice in league matters.
Well, I know there was a PBA players association a few years back but I think it's largely inactive. But having a union that is as strong and as vocal as the NBA's is a pipedream, I'm afraid.
And the atmosphere in basketball isn't a major factor for that.
In the Philippines, unions are frowned upon. Heck, we have government agencies tagging various unions as fronts of the communist party. In the US, it's a different thing, they have different unions and almost all workers are a member of one. Even Filipinos who are now based in the US and who would generally frown upon the unions here are members.
The view that union members are radical activists who have hidden guns is just one thing a potential players union have to fight. The other thing? Unity.
The NBA players have shown their unity in a shortened season when they fought the league over revenue shares. Though belittled as a fight between millionaires and billionaires by the public, the players stuck to their agenda. Could that happen here? Could a PBA players union be that united and threaten a strike to push their agenda?
Heck, just one call by a PBA team to organize tryouts to replace striking players would be enough to get the players to toe the line.
I mean, consider what happened to Calvin Abueva. Granted he deserve a punishment but his year-long banishment didn't merit any plea from his brethren, right? Why? Economics. A spot by a star earning a lucrative salary has been opened for another player.
Coaches and team executives have too much power in the league and a player’s union will threaten that. Just take a look at the case of Greg Slaughter, who was left without a contract.
Though I agree that the PBA players should have a voice and forming a union is a step in the right direction, I just hope it would be a genuine move, not just to copy the NBA and give the local pros a token voice.
Will that happen?
I’m not hopeful. The PBA is a reflection of our corporate culture.