ONE of the nicest surprises in the Duterte administration has been the Games and Amusements Board, the agency tasked to oversee professional sports in the country. Previous chairmen did nothing to protect the professional athlete and sometimes, had to be prodded too to act.
But not with Baham Mitra in charge. He’s done a lot and his latest move is admirable. There are many reasons boxing is called the red light district of sports and one of them is the many ways that managers screw their fighters. It’s an old story, one that is perpetuated because most of our pro boxers never even finished high school. Heck, even Manny Pacquiao found himself in a contract dispute.
And even those who have completed high school can still find themselves with the short end of the stick. Why? Let’s face it, sometimes when signing contracts, boxers are just too trusting.
I’ve heard of horror stories of how some pro boxers are almost bled dry by their managers, getting made to pay for thing as mundane as photo copies.
GAB’s latest action seeks to address that. The agency announced on its social media page a seminar for athletes regarding contracts and how to file complaints should they want too. That’s a commendable move. In the past, boxers don’t bother because they knew GAB and the promoters and managers go hand in glove. We don’t have something like the Muhammad Ali Act of the US and GAB’s action is a step in the right direction.
The seminar is timely because our professional sports scene is growing, it’s no longer limited to basketball, or men’s basketball to be specific. A pro women’s basketball league is being planned, while we’ve had pro volleyball and football for years now.
I hope the seminar becomes a regular GAB event, and if I may suggest, they might want to hold a separate one for the athletes and the managers. Some athletes may be too timid to ask certain questions if they know their managers are also in attendance.
Back when he was new in the office, one of Chairman Mitra’s first new acts was to meet with the stakeholders. I thought, that’s new but I wondered if it was just for “pogi points.”
You see, for me, GAB has become that hopeless agency that only exists to grant permits.
It’s nice to know that right now, it’s no longer just a stamp pad.