The new UAAP rule
CEBU, Philippines - It was the norm of years past that a student-athlete coming from another learning institution has to serve a one year residency rule before he or she is eligible to play in the college of their choice. Ergo, this student-athlete has to sit out one school year to fulfill the requirement.
Recently, the board (or maybe bored) of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) amended and approved a new rule requiring a high school graduate from any UAAP-member school who wishes to transfer to another member school for his/her collegiate athletic scholarship to stretch their legs and wait at the sidelines for two years. From a one-year rule to a two-year residency rule.
These bored people may have their own sublime wisdom on the matter but to simple minded living things like you and me, this constitutes curtailment of the student-athlete’s right to choose where they want to pursue their collegiate education.
Two-time high school MVP Jerie Pingoy is directly affected by this stupid rule and UAAP diehards have already called this as the “Pingoy Ruleâ€. He played for and recently graduated from high school at Far Eastern University. As per reports, Pingoy will be transferring to Ateneo. If he does, he will be eligible to play for the Blue Eagles in 2015 yet, but if he stays in FEU, he surely can play next season.
The rule most probably have the pirating of athletes targeted with complete disregard of an athlete’s right to chose where to study. They go to such lengths to deter an athlete’s genuine desire to go to a better learning institution just to keep them in their fold. A university based on the oldest street in the country has gone to the extent of withholding the academic credentials of their recently graduated star player who had decided to accept an athletic scholarship in Manila. They even threatened to throw their weight around and drop him from the junior national team. Sick. If this is not selfish, I don’t know what else is this.
And what about marginal or average high school players who also seek better learning? This rule hampers their development. Imagine wasting two years and being assigned to training teams playing against mediocre opponents. Their potentials are not exploited and improved because the big league happens to have a very minute vision.
For comparison’s sake, if you were given the choice, which is which – FEU or Ateneo? And to those in the know, which is which, the local university or the university in Manila? Hala, tubag.
All good things have to end and it is contrary to an athlete-student’s or a plain student’s personal development and well-being if an educational institution is the one making harang to their future plans.
Yeah, sure, schools made investments on their athletes but this does not make them as mere commodities that they can manipulate and control forever. All schools worth their athletic records have programs and with the advances in training, equipment and technology, it won’t take long for them to recover their lost glory with the departure of their star players.
Student-athletes, although most of them are pictured and perceived as dumb jocks, also think of their future. They won’t be playing all their lives so they grab on the chance to go to what they think is a better university or college than their previous school with the thought of arming themselves with enough know-how to survive after their glory days.
We have gone thru high school and the moment we graduate, we want that freedom to choose which school and what course to pursue. Yes, we listen to advises but we tend to favor our own desires. Athletes also dream big, dream of a brighter future for themselves and their families. Let not this self-serving rule and insensitive school administrators block these dreams.
If they’re true to their words, this is a freakin’ good time for our senators and members of congress to grandstand and at least do something with their ridiculous pork barrels for the betterment of our country’s sports programs.
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