What expansion means for the PBA

PBA commissioner Chito Salud is now doing due diligence on the capacity of three applicant corporations to field expansion teams in the PBA next season. This is a tremendous benefit to the league as it prepares for its 40th season. The marathon board meeting Thursday lasted from noon until almost 5 p.m., and the expansion was the central agenda for the meeting. Having new blood and a new presence in the PBA has myriad benefits for a league experiencing renewed strength and popularity. Contrary to the belief of some that it may dilute the talent or exposure, this writer believes it will create new platforms and opportunities for the league to extend its massive reach.

More heroes. For spectators and viewers who don’t cheer for current, established teams, this would be an opportunity for them to claim a new PBA team as their own. The new teams will have their own fan base from which to grow their popularity, their own cheers, their own fan culture. The new teams will have their own identities, as will their fans. New teams means new players to cheer for, idolize and be inspired by. A bigger pie for fans to get a slice from.

More exposure. Though some people say more teams means less exposure overall, it will actually give the PBA a bigger presence in the market. Each team has its own machinery for marketing, promotions and publicity. More teams naturally means more games, more opportunities to shine. More teams means more hands working together to build goodwill in communities, create projects to benefit victims of natural disasters, make charitable donations, visit the sick, elderly, and destitute. More teams means more opportunities for doing good.

More rivalries. When Purefoods entered the PBA in 1988, it immediately made the All-Filipino Conference its home, planting itself firmly in the finals for years. It became part of the battle plan of other teams to supplant the Tender Juicy Hotdogs each season, and created great match-ups against Ginebra San Miguel. In the early 1990’s, Shell and Ginebra had their own battles in the import-laden conferences. And it seemed that every season, you could look forward to a record-setting output in the final no-bearing regular-season game between Great Taste and Ginebra, when no defense was played. All these added color to PBA lore, and people still talk about those games today.

Longer shelf life. Sometimes, older players are simply displaced through the mistaken notion that that younger is better. This will happen less as the new teams provide a new home for those veterans whose value to their old teams may have diminished, but can find renewed purpose with teams looking for veteran leadership. It’s happened to some of the league’s greatest players. Some have to content themselves with one-year deals just to stay in the game. A new team could provide a more comfortable transition to a coaching or mentorship role, and they would feel more appreciated.

More work off the court. A professional basketball team also has a large support system behind it, from logistics to synergies with the mother company. The team becomes the public face of the products and corporation it represents, and this means more activity for people needed to maximize its effectivity in enhancing the company’s profile. Corporate communications, below the line professionals, media placements, coordinators and dozens of other support staff come into play. It is no small deal.

More stories. The sports press will also have something new to write about, player profiles, background stories, a flood of new material will feed the media mill. Each new experience for the players and team will become part of the landscape for the sports pages in print and on-line, and human interest stories on television. With the expansion of sports programming on other networks and cable, there is simply more to cover, and it makes our jobs easier. Young sports broadcasters will also get the opportunity of a lifetime, covering the league everyone wants to be part of.

More attractions. With the natural gravitation between entertainment celebrities and athletes, the new faces in the PBA will pull in more female (and maybe some male) celebrity fans. Athletes worship entertainment celebrities, and the feeling is mutual. His will add even more luster to the PBA, as the next generation of stars and starlets start becoming regulars at the games, or become adornments on the arms of the league’s next superstars. And the crossover to show business has always been a short hop for basketball players and athletes in general. From the days of Bobby Jaworski’s TV series to today’s players appearing in tele-novelas, it’s a natural progression.

Other opportunities. The new teams will also create new revenue streams and platforms for the PBA. Collectible merchandise like jerseys, posters, and other items for fans to acquire. It isn’t very often that an established league gets the chance to have a new first, let alone two or three. It will open up new markets for potential fans, as well. And with the continuous stream of talent coming from the UAAP and NCAA, there will always be new faces to plaster on collectibles.

All in all, there will be so many advantages to the league and its new members. Beyond that, it projects the strength, stability and unwavering popularity of a league whose hallmark has always been excitement and professionalism.