How do we stand up to lawlessness?

How many more basketball players will become targets or be fearful of fatal shootings before we collectively stand up to lawlessness? The fury over the verdict on the shooting death of minor Trayvon Martin has ignited protests in over a hundred cities in the US, much of it fuelled by racial tension. Here in the Philip- pines, basketball players are moving targets for alleged gamblers and those who perceive them- selves wronged and take the law into their own hands. When are we going to say “Enough!”?

The shooting of Letran guard Franz Dysam and the resulting death of his companion (reported as either his wife or girlfriend) Joan Sordan was obviously premeditated. The fact that it happened so close to the playing venue – the San Juan Arena – in the bailiwick of a former president and senators of the republic makes the incident doubly alarming. The basketball com- munity was just beginning to forget the shooting of Talk ‘N Text big man Ali Peek, and we had just gotten over the 2008 Mac Baracael shooting so close to the FEU campus in Manila, as well. In each case, the player’s presence of mind and peak physical conditioning saved his life.

Franz Dysam started his collegiate career at the University of Perpetual Help. In his short tenure with the Altas, he proved to be a shifty, savvy point guard with a good outside shot and superior decision-making. Looking for a change of scenery in what was then an uncertain time for UPHSD, Dysam sacrificed two years of playing to be able to suit up for Louie Alas at Letran. There, he blossomed into a leader, teaming up with Mark Cruz to form one of the league’s smallest but most potent backcourt combinations. In clutch situations, Alas would send Dysam in for a quick three-pointer or a crucial drive to the basket. He is a player his teammates trust. Two theories brought forth are personal jealousy and business.

There is obviously no trend in this case, but it begs the question of how we can better protect basketball players. During games, there are professional security personnel lining the playing court and roaming the hallways of the coliseum, and they know who belongs there and who doesn’t. But it has become so easy for play- ers to get shot at outside of practice or before or after games. There is no safety in public. That is how brazen the criminals have become. They scoff in the face of the police. And in the wake of the allegations of a rubout of the Ozamis robbery leaders, faith in local law enforcement has been shaken even more.

Basketball players are easy targets. Their games are in public arenas; practice schedules are easy to get. Parking lots are open to the public during games and practices, even those held in private villages. It’s so easy to walk up to some- one with a small firearm or a bladed weapon and do them harm. After games, players do their duty and pose with fans for autographs and photos, and shake hands with strangers in public. They do all this to show gratitude for the blessings fans have bestowed upon them. Now, they may also want to consider the risk involved.

It is also very easy to envy basketball players. They’re generally tall and athletic, and are, in a sense, running around in shorts and sleeveless shirts. They’re in the public eye. When they work, their games are broadcast live on television here and overseas. They often become famous and earn endorsement contracts an ordinary person would never get. They get a regular opportunity to perform actions that seem heroic to the lay- man, even if it’s just putting the ball through a hoop. They’re big men on campus with privi- leges regular students do not have: separate and often late registration, their choice of professors, looser schedules, pep rallies, and recognition from students, teachers and alumni. Even at the collegiate level, there is also the perception that they receive perks or outright cash payments for their playing. All of this is a heady mixture that also happens to be intoxicatingly attractive to women. But that makes it precisely a double- edged sword. They seem to have everything every man wants, sometimes even the woman another man fancies.

Over 20 years ago, I directed a daily public affairs television program, and one of our hosts was a regular firebrand, a lightning rod for death threats. He would say things on the air that would elicit death threats over the telephone. I remember that having dinner with him at the time was such a stressful experience. First of all, he needed to carry firearms on his person. His car had tinted windows with only a slit at eye level. He had at least two bodyguards, and sat against a wall everywhere we went. A few years before, he had to turn down the chance to be on the pilot of a daily primetime newscast that is still on the air today, simply because he could not afford to have a daily routine where he could be ambushed. I thought to myself, what a way to live.

If it is true that Dysam had been threatened before, he could have reported it and gotten help from the school or his friends. It could have prevented an unnecessary death and risking innocent children who were in the backseat of his car. Realistically, what else can be done? Schools may insist on having players meet at an undisclosed place and go to and from the games together. They could each be assigned buddies on the team. Beyond that, there is not much else they can do but be extra vigilant. You never know when these individuals will strike. In public, you would be defenseless.