No one could have said it any better than EJ Obiena, “If you want to help Alex, me, or any athlete, pick us up when we are down.” Such articulation. Such wisdom. Such stinging retort to the meanest and baddest Filipino fans quick to condemn. Like they were part of the journey, from insular anonymity to global visibility.
Why EJ singled out the Filipina ace is obvious. She was the target, after she lost the singles semi-finals in the Asian Games to the eventual gold medalist and settled for bronze, then lost again in another tournament to world number 217. Both Chinese foes, not to include the Chinese ambassador who threatened the Filipinos in their homeland. Many were incensed, not at the foreign envoy, but at their very own Alex Eala or her game.
Just like that. Like they know exactly how athletes struggle to stay on top amidst a cut throat competition. Eala is up against the best of the best in the world. She blinks and anything happens, her foes lurk, ready to ambush at the narrowest opening. Unlike in government where crooks steal money even if everyone is supposed to be looking.
Indeed, this demanding and demeaning fan mentality does not help our athletes. Just as the lack of taxpayer mentality embolden public fund thievery in the dead of the night, and robbery in broad daylight. How this turns around is beyond answers. Culture, or better yet the cult, is the hardest to change or at least argue against. There is no reason, just blind devotion.
Obiena went on to say, “Harsh comments are not the support that helps us return stronger.” Indeed they are not. But the strongest men and women of sports use them to fuel their strong resolve to prove their detractors wrong. Aside from playing against their foreign foes, Filipino athletes have to fight two other demons back home. One, the lack of government support. And two, how to please their Filipino fans. Treble trouble. Terrible.
Hidilyn Diaz is the best embodiment. She ended the country’s Olympic medal drought with a weightlifting silver, only to be listed in a government destabilization matrix. She laughed it off, went on to win the country’s inaugural Olympic gold. That’s physical, mental and emotional strength. The combination that beats the competition, be it their foes from other countries or the boos from their own country.