Politicking

When I came across this piece on Amazing But True Golf Facts, I could not help but laugh.

Professional golfer John Daly, who was once regarded as the bad boy of the PGA tour now one of the Tour’s most flamboyant dressers, once said that he wasn’t keen on exercising.

His reason, “just think about it, you can pull a muscle, but you can’t pull fat.”

I better tell my doctor about this as he reminded me again during my weekly rehab yesterday that I still have to lose weight when I complained about my knee.

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Cebu City politics seems to have moved into the sports arena with the recent issues that have come to light.

This is both good and bad for Cebu City sports. Good, because there will be more events, but bad because there will be no real development if this goes on.

Good sports is of course good politics and in Cebu City, we have seen that happen many times in previous elections where the chairmen of the sports committee of the city council often landed the top spot in the elections for councilor.

Two outstanding products of the politics of sports in Cebu City were former councilors Joy Augustus Young and Rico Rey Francis ‘Koko’ Holganza.

Their involvement in sports helped them top the elections in their respective districts during the 1990s.

I could not say the same in the recent elections, but definitely involvement sports is one thing that will help politicians get their names remembered and earn those votes.

Just think about this, funds for a basketball court that will have your name on the backboards and the side of the court will be a year-round campaign material for you.

Even if the people are at the place for something else and not sports, your name is still there.

On a negative note, this is also the reason why we have so many basketball courts even in places where they should not be there.

This is also the reason why it is hard to convince politicians to support other sports activities since they would not serve the same purpose as a basketball court.

We expect many more sports events in the next several months leading to the elections and I hope that those politicians who get into such strategy of campaigning really have sports development in their hearts.

One thing we have to keep in mind also is that we can take advantage of the sudden interest of politicians in sports by taking part in their programs and help encourage them to make such sustainable once they get elected next year.

If they don’t win, they might see that working for sports development could be their calling and would continue to help even if they fail on May 2010.

We in the sports community can also dream.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings to several of my friends, who are turning a year older today.

They are – my classmate Arabelle Abellana-Villa, fellow La Sallian Gordon ‘Dondi’ Joseph, GMA-7’s Lalaine Go, Teban Go, and my former colleague Stella Palomo Monteño.

Advance birthday greetings to Y101’s Charlene Go and Charisma Ong-Pinna, who are celebrating tomorrow.

More power to all of you! -  THE FREEMAN