Fan support, messages swamp MBA website

Four days after the Metropolitan Basketball Association announced its temporary closure to give way to restructuring, the league’s website –mba.ph–was swamped with fan messages calling for moves to make the MBA a "public corporation."

Some fans even went to the extent of organizing a movement they call "I love the Philippines, Save the MBA," which aims to collect donations, which the fans said would "help ease the league’s financial burdens."

When told of the fans’ reaction, MBA chairman Santi Araneta assured legions of the league’s regional followers that "their pleas are heard" even as he thanked them for their concern in seeing the MBA continue its grassroots development thrust.

"It’s really touching. The fans’ reactions moved not only me but also other MBA officials. And they give us reasons to reassure and reiterate that we are not yet writing the demise of the league," Araneta said.

Ramon Tuason, the league’s business development director and among those tasked to restructure the MBA, also said some "positive developments" over the past days point to the possible revival of the league next year, although it may drop its identity as a professional league.

"Part of the restructuring is making sure the new MBA would not rival the other leagues but complement them instead," he said.

That alone should assure our fans that we will return, as Douglas McArthur had said," Tuason said.

"But we also have other commitments that we have to settle first. We do not turn our backs on them and soon after we have put the league in its new place, we will be ready to go and give it another try," Tuason added.