PBA's 'everyday' experiment a big success

MANILA, Philippines - PBA commissioner Chito Salud said yesterday the experiment of playing the first four games of the Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal series alternately on a daily basis could be a template for future conferences as it has made a huge impact in increasing fan interest, player recognition and ticket sales.

Since Wednesday last week, the PBA has played one game a day starting with Game 1 of the Rain Or Shine-Powerade series at the Cuneta Astrodome. Game 1 of the Petron-Talk ‘N’ Text series was played the next day. The alternating schedule ended with Game 4 of the Petron-Talk ‘N’ Text series last night.

Tomorrow, the PBA will revert to its usual doubleheader format with Game 5 of the Rain Or Shine-Powerade series scheduled to begin at 5:15 and Game 5 of the Petron-Talk ‘N’ Text series at 7:30 p.m. If there will be a Game 7 in one or both series, it will be played next Wednesday.  Game 1 of the Finals will be hosted by Gov. Douglas Cagas in Digos City, Davao del Sur, on Jan. 20.

“The experiment definitely worked,” said Salud. “With the everyday schedule, each of the four teams in the semifinals was given due recognition and headline treatment. In a doubleheader, the first game usually doesn’t get as much attention as the second. With the everyday schedule, we read about the Rain Or Shine-Powerade series one day and the Petron-Talk ‘N’ Text series the next. Gary David got headline attention one day and Alex Cabagnot another day. After all, they deserved equal attention.  It wouldn’t be like this in a doubleheader. In terms of ticket sales, the experiment was also a success. In a typical doubleheader, we earn about a million pesos. But in the everyday schedule, we earned about P700,000 to over a million a game.”

Salud said he has closely monitored the officiating in every semifinals game. “I’ve reviewed every game to check on the officiating and my conclusion is so far, the better team has won each game, meaning no team has been short-changed,” he said. “I reviewed Game 1 of the Petron-Talk ‘N’ Text series and paid close attention to the charging foul on Joseph Yeo. I saw that the referee who made the call was on the run, trying to catch up with the players. There was an abrupt turnover. From the referee’s angle, it looked like Yeo extended his elbow and dipped his shoulder. That’s why he was called for the offensive foul. Maybe, if the referee were in a different angle, it could’ve been either a blocking foul on Larry Fonacier or a no-call. Our rule of thumb is unless the offensive player clearly initiates the contact and drives into a defender with an established position, it will be either a blocking foul or a no-call. Regarding contact on jumpshooters, our rule is any contact made by a defender, even slight, will be called.”

Salud said the partnership between the PBA and new TV coveror ABC-5/AKTV is off to a strong start. “In the PBA, our concern is the game itself because if the game isn’t worth watching, there wouldn’t be anything to market,” said Salud. “This season, we’ve introduced two new positives. First, the influx of talented rookies like Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz and Paul Lee. And second, a new TV coveror that has assured the Board of Governors of a quality coverage backed up by high-technology equipment. I think those are the two main reasons why attendance, ratings and ticket sales are up.”

The new balance of power in the league is a testament to the beneficial effects of the draft system. Powerade chose Jvee Casio and Lassiter with two of the first three picks while Rain Or Shine took Lee with the second pick.  The rookies are a big reason why the Tigers and Elasto Painters are in the semifinals. Competitive balance and parity are two crucial elements in sustaining the popularity of any sports league.

Meanwhile, PBA media bureau chief and special assistant to the commissioner Willie Marcial said next conference, the league has scheduled two elimination games in Dubai – Rain Or Shine vs Barako Bull on Feb. 23 and Rain Or Shine vs Barangay Ginebra on Feb. 24. Last year, the PBA played two games in Dubai involving Talk ‘N’ Text, B-Meg and Ginebra but the promotion was a bust.

“A new promoter is bringing the PBA back to Dubai and we’re taking this opportunity to prove the viability of the games,” said Marcial. “We’ve taken action against last year’s promoter and we’ll settle accountabilities when we return to Dubai. It’s the same thing with Boracay where we had problems staging the All-Star Weekend last year. Laoag is hosting the All-Star Weekend this season but next year, we want to go back to Boracay and prove we can do a good job of promoting it with a new partner.”