SINCE THE cancellation of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines’ (UAAP) 82nd and 83rd seasons, there has been no shortage of speculation regarding the plans of the league for its return. More recently, the UAAP itself has provided its own updates for the possible 84th season. Atty. Rebo Saguisag, the collegiate league’s executive director, shared his optimism that the UAAP could return sometime next year.
While fans have been without the UAAP for nearly two years, there is a possibility that the league will be limited to select sports, such as men’s basketball, women’s volleyball, cheerdance, and the opening ceremonies. While these events are extremely popular among fans and good for league revenue, it can be argued that the UAAP should re-angle its return with a much safer perspective in mind.
Much of the difficulty surrounding sports leagues in the new normal is rooted in the risk of transmission associated with physical contact in these sports. As such, non-contact sports are seen as the safer option in the new normal because safe distances can be maintained between athletes.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a hindrance to the UAAP, focusing resources on non-contact sports is the best option for the community moving forward.
Worrying reality
The Philippines’ current situation with the COVID-19 virus has worsened since the UAAP discussed its potential return last June. With the Delta variant now present in the country, Filipinos are in the middle of another spike in cases. As of September 10, the Department of Health tallied 17,964 new cases for a total of 175,470 active cases. Despite the rise in cases, Metro Manila’s lockdown has since been relaxed to modified enhanced community quarantine.
Though the UAAP will certainly have safety protocols in place for the athletes and staff that will participate in its return, the UAAP has yet to release concrete safety plans to the public. Worse off, the history of sports leagues and their protocols in the Philippines has never completely stopped COVID-19’s transmission. Notable examples of COVID-19 risks in sporting leagues can be seen in the positive cases of both the Premier Volleyball League and the Philippine Basketball Association.
These recent developments pose a threat to the return of the UAAP and even put into question whether sports leagues should be relaunched at this time. Though there are systems in place to protect athletes before stepping foot in the arena, non-contact sports ensure a minimal risk of transmission during the games as well.
New normal sports
The aforementioned notion that social distancing makes non-contact sports safer is supported by the Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases, which allowed non-contact sports such as running, swimming, tennis, golf, and badminton to be conducted in low-risk areas. Fortunately, the UAAP has no shortage of non-contact sports in its current arsenal.
While non-contact sports do have reduced transmission risks, problems concerning fan reception and viewership may arise as these sports are arguably less popular than those that have been singled out for return. Attempting to heighten the popularity of these non-contact sports becomes more important when one considers the implications the UAAP’s return can have outside the league itself.
As a collegiate league, a large part of the UAAP’s demographic are young Filipinos and aspiring athletes who look up to the players they host. Should the league focus on non-contact sports when it returns, it will also inspire aspiring Filipino athletes to take up these sports in the new normal; creating a safer environment for Philippine athletics at the time of COVID-19.
The country has already shown that there is a future to be invested in with non-contact sports. Eight out of the 11 Olympic sports that the country participated in are classified as non-contact. Of those eight sports, swimming and athletics are already UAAP events, and it should not be outside the realm of possibility for the others to follow suit. Fresh off the nation’s best ever Olympic outing, the interest in these sports is at its peak; presenting the UAAP with a prime opportunity to invest in non-contact sports.
A moral obligation
More than just being a collegiate athletic league, the UAAP carries with it a moral obligation to inspire the Filipino people, as discussed by Saguisag. “Right now, there’s the view that student-athletes really have a special role in society, that they can probably give the nation something to rally around,” explained the UAAP Executive Director.
Given the UAAP’s large audience, that moral obligation goes past the need to unite the nation in the spirit of athletic competition. What the UAAP does with its return could have a lasting impact beyond the league itself. Ultimately, non-contact sports present the UAAP with an avenue for a safer return to collegiate sports—something that fans and athletes are bound to appreciate.
As the country continues to live with the COVID-19 virus, the best step forward for the UAAP should still be to prioritize safety, both for the sake of their athletes and the audience that looks up to them. The virus has forced all lives around the world to adjust to the new normal, and by investing in the non-contact sports that they already host, the UAAP can now follow suit.
