Critical mass

If you would chance to be in the Subic Bay area this weekend, you may notice a rather colorful commotion going on around the area of the Subic Bay Yacht Club. That’s the "SBMA Flag Football Invitational 2003." There will be at least eight team championships comprised of roughly twenty (20) men and women. The event started yesterday, and is expected to draw a crowd of hip students and professionals to try this new game.

Flag football started about six or seven years ago, when a barkada of young graduates played touch football at the Ateneo de Manila high school football field. The game was so makeshift that they even used their plastic Coleman water jugs as field markers. What drew them to the sport was that it was fast-paced and action-packed, and lacked the bone-breaking consequences of its big brother, American football. Aside from that, anybody could–and was encouraged to–play any position. And third, perhaps most attractive, the games were co-ed.

By chance, there was a similar group playing in the University of the Phiippines’ Sunken Gardens. One day, when the venue was unavailable, they trooped to the Ateneo, and chanced upon their counterparts there. Joining forces with another gang from Alabang four years ago, they started scrimmages each weekend, refining the rules of the game as they went along. Eventually, they formed a league, and created what is now known as the Philippine Flag Football League, or PFFL, beginning with four teams of fifteen players each, playing 7-on-7.

"Basically, we are a small group of coaches from different sports who fell in love with flag football," recounts Rajah Singh, whose main preoccupation has shifted from coaching baseball to bonding with fellow flag football enthusiasts. "It’s a very exciting sport, and we can really say that anybody can play it."

Flag football is very similar to American football. Getting the ball into the opponents’ endzone is the goal, gaining yardage on every possession the immediate task. The only difference is that, with contact minimized, speed and strategy are emphasized. There are 5-on-5 and 7-on-7 versions which are played gender-exclusive or mixed, and there are the tougher 9-on-9 matches wherein things get a little more physical, and only a minimum of one female participant for each team is required.

In the last four years, a huge crowd of celebrities has taken to the new sport, which allows them to have tremendous, fast-paced fun outdoors. Entertainer Raffy Rodriguez, one of the organizers, counts sportscaster Anthony Suntay and celebrities Derek Ramsey, Richard Gomez, LJ Moreno, Jackie Forster, Samantha Lopez, Gaby de la Merced, Joanne Quintas-Primero, Robin Da Roza, Troy Montero and Vina Morales among those who have found new thrills in flag football. As a whole, the PFFL counts over 400 regular members, from college students to professionals to expats.

"The rules make it very appealing for everybody," Rodriguez asserts. "Size is no longer a factor because there’s no tackling involved. I can block people twice my size, and I often have to. And having ladies on the field is always a plus."

But it’s not all fevered competition. The PFFL Recreational Club has been the flagship for the propagation of Fun Flag Football matches for newcomers to the fast-growing sport. These games are played every Sunday from 2 p.m. onwards at the UP Sunken Garden).

"We’re just waiting for the sport to reach critical mass," Rodriguez continues. "We’ve already been featured on many sports shows, and sponsors are just coming in. Very soon, we’ll make it as a mainstream sport."

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There seems to be no debate that the dual citizenship law (once it is consolidated by both chambers of Congress) will not really have any effect on the status of Fil-Ams coming in or currently in the PBA.

The main bone of contention will be the citizenship of a player’s parent’s at the time of his birth. If even one of them is still Filipino at the time of his birth, then the player has every right to be granted Filipino citizenship. However, if both of his parents are already citizens of another country—or have performed acts of allegiance to another country—then the point is moot.

Meanwhile, Alaska Aces assistant coach Jojo Lastimosa of the PBA Players Association takes the point further. On a personal level, Lastimosa is even willing to consider Fil-Ams whose parents were born Filipino. He says it’s not even an issue of citizenship, but one of blood. He may have a point. Children have no control over what their parents do regarding nationality. Why should they suffer the consequences of their parents’ change in citizenship, which is usually an economic decision, anyway?

Also, this will encourage dual citizens to come out into the open. There certainly are PBA players who hold dual citizenship and are hiding it for fear of reprisal. Technically, you can be a citizen of the country where you are born, or of the country which issued either of your parent’s passports.

This is another issue that is waiting to reach critical mass, or one really bad case of abuse.

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And speaking of critical mass, there is a very good chance the Philippines may make it back to Olympic basketball competition in 2008.

How?

In the past, countries have been seeeded to Olympic basketball competitions that they are hosting. This rule was applied in the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics. This means that, for the 2008 tournament, China will no longer need to qualify. If that rule holds, then there will be two slots available for other Asian countries. Seriously speaking, if we prepare now, then we will have a good chance of knocking off a couple of other countries in a bid to make it to Shanghai.

Think of it: with China no longer needing to join qualifiers, we may squeeze in among Japan, Korea and Lebanon for a shot at the main Olympic draw. Let’s not be myopic and think that we’re going to get royally massacred once we get there. Let’s take it one step at a time.

Well, BAP?

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The Basketball Show would like to thank National Sports Grill for graciously hosting our anniversary dinner. National Sports Grill is at the third level of Greenbelt 1 in Makati, with telephone number 7525431. You may reach me through [email protected] or [email protected].